MISL Playoffs : Lazers Can’t Hold a Two-Goal Lead, Lose to Baltimore, 4-3
The Lazers lost the first game of their best-of-five Major Indoor Soccer League quarterfinal playoff series to the Baltimore Blast, 4-3, Wednesday night when their defense buckled in the second half.
A crowd of 7,108 at the Baltimore Civic Center saw defender Mike Stankovic give the Blast a 1-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game, but the Lazers responded with a pair of goals by Juan Cardenas and another by Batata to lead, 3-1, at halftime.
Baltimore, the defending MISL champion, cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third quarter on Dave MacWilliams’ goal, then tied it in the fourth period on Ernie Buriano’s shot.
Stan Stamenkovic scored the game-winner 6:24 into the final period.
“In the first half, we stuck to our game plan by keeping the game moving, fast-breaking and hitting the boards,†Lazer Coach Peter Wall said. “But in the second half we got away from all that and you can’t do that against the Blast.â€
The second game in the series will be played Friday night at Baltimore, with the third at the Forum Sunday night at 6.
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