The 2015–16 Baltimore Blast season is the twenty-fourth season of the Baltimore Blast professional indoor soccer club. The Blast, an Eastern Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, play their home games at Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.
The team is led by owner Edwin F. Hale, Sr. and head coach Danny Kelly. Following a 10–5 victory on February 15 over the Chicago Mustangs, Baltimore clinched first place in the Eastern Division and the top seed in the Divisional Final.
The Blast finished the regular season 15-4 and went undefeated in the postseason, winning four of their six playoff games in overtime, en route to the team's eighth championship. Pat Healey won his second consecutive Defender of the Year award while Lucas Roque received the MASL Finals MVP.
History Launched in July 1992 as the Baltimore Spirit, an expansion team in the second National Professional Soccer League for the 1992–93 season, the team replaced the original Baltimore Blast which folded earlier in 1992 when the first Major Indoor Soccer League shut down. Ed Hale, an owner of the original Blast, bought the Spirit in July 1998 and changed the name to Baltimore Blast. In 2001, the team was a founding member of the second MISL. When that league shut down in 2008, they co-founded the National Indoor Soccer League which, one season later, became the third MISL.
After the 2013-14 season, Baltimore was one of three teams that left the MISL, leading to the league's collapse. Along with five other former MISL teams, the Blast joined the teams of the Professional Arena Soccer League, which was soon rebranded as the Major Arena Soccer League. With the Rochester Lancers folding and the failed launch of Hartford City FC, the MASL Eastern Division for the 2015–16 season consists of former MISL club Syracuse Silver Knights, plus former PASL clubs Waza Flo and Harrisburg Heat.
Off-field moves All MASL games are now scored with traditional soccer scoring where every goal is worth one point.
Schedule
Regular season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Score Record 1 Saturday November 7 7:35pm Chicago Mustangs W 7–4 1–0 Royal Farms Arena 9,442 2 Saturday November 14 7:35pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 6–0 2–0 Royal Farms Arena 4,140 3 Saturday November 21 7:35pm Waza Flo W 11–1 3–0 Royal Farms Arena 3,204 4 Saturday November 28 2:05pm at Harrisburg Heat W 9–2 4–0 Farm Show Large Arena 1,973 5 Friday December 4 7:35pm San Diego Sockers W 8–5 5–0 Royal Farms Arena 8,953 6 Saturday December 11 7:30pm at Syracuse Silver Knights W 5–2 6–0 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 1,986 7 Friday December 18 7:35pm Harrisburg Heat W 5–1 7–0 Royal Farms Arena 4,611 8 Thursday December 31 5:05pm at Harrisburg Heat W 8–3 8–0 Farm Show Large Arena 1,583 9 Saturday January 2 7:05pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 7–3 9–0 Royal Farms Arena 4,021 10 Friday January 8 7:35pm Waza Flo W 9–3 10–0 Royal Farms Arena 3,921 11 Saturday January 9 7:35pm Harrisburg Heat W 6–4 11–0 Royal Farms Arena 6,630 12 Sunday January 24 1:00pm at Syracuse Silver Knights L 2–3 11–1 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 2,948 13 Saturday January 30 7:05pm at St. Louis Ambush W 6–1 12-1 Family Arena 5,721 14 Sunday January 31 3:05pm at Missouri Comets L 4–6 12–2 Independence Events Center 4,101 15 Friday February 12 7:35pm at Waza Flo Postponed Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center 16 Monday February 15 6:35pm at Chicago Mustangs W 10–5 13–2 Sears Centre Arena 3,339 17 Friday February 19 7:35pm Missouri Comets L 4–5 (OT) 13–3 Royal Farms Arena 8,121 18 Sunday February 21 5:05pm Harrisburg Heat W 9–0 14–3 Royal Farms Arena 7,984 19 Friday February 26 7:35pm at St. Louis Ambush W 9–4 15–3 Family Arena 6,719 20 Saturday February 27 7:35pm at Missouri Comets L 4–5 15–4 Independence Events Center 5,214
Post-season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Score Record Division Final #1 Friday March 11 7:35pm Syracuse Silver Knights W 6-5 (3OT) 1–0 Royal Farms Arena 4,041 Division Final #2 Sunday March 13 4:05pm at Syracuse Silver Knights W 6–4 2–0 Oncenter War Memorial Arena 2,042 Eastern Final #1 Thursday March 24 7:05pm at Missouri Comets W 4–3 (OT) 3–0 Independence Events Center 3,011 Eastern Final #2 Tuesday March 29 7:05pm Missouri Comets W 4–3 (2OT) 4–0 Royal Farms Arena 4,102 MASL Final #1 Sunday April 10 6:05pm Soles de Sonora W 7–4 5–0 Royal Farms Arena 7,243 MASL Final #2 Friday April 15 8:05pm at Soles de Sonora W 14–13 (OT) 6–0 El Centro de Usos Múltiples 8,324 .
Personnel
Team roster As of January 15, 2016
Staff The team's coaching staff includes head coach Danny Kelly, assistant coach David Bascome, athletic trainer Heather Kohlbus, physical therapist Paul Ernst, team doctor Dr. Richard Levine, and equipment manager Mark Meszaros. The Blast front office includes owner Edwin F. Hale, Sr., team president and general manager Kevin Healey, assistant general manager Mike Conway, director of ticket operations Jason Carrick, and marketing coordinator Stephen Cooke.
Statistics
Top scorers RankScorerGamesGoalsAssistsPoints1 Tony Donatelli181717342 Vini Dantas122010303 Lucas Roque18197264 Pat Healey19617235 Andrew Hoxie1915520Last updated on October 18, 2016. Source:
References
External links Baltimore Blast official website Baltimore Blast at The Baltimore Sun