David Bascome’s Baltimore Blast produced a resilient display on the road to edge the Empire Strykers in an overtime thriller at the Toyota Arena. Twice trailing by two goals, the Blast refused to buckle, eventually securing a victory that sees them leapfrog their opponents into fifth place in the Major Arena Soccer League standings.
The match appeared to be slipping away from the visitors in the second period when Mounir Alami struck twice in the opening five minutes to give the Strykers a commanding 2-0 lead. However, Baltimore responded before the half-time whistle. Chad Poarch ignited the comeback in the ninth minute, followed by a clinical finish from Jairo Guevara with just seconds remaining in the half to level the scores.
The pendulum swung back in favor of the hosts during the third period. Marco Fabián restored the Strykers' lead just 38 seconds after the restart, and when Steven Chavez made it 4-2 late in the quarter, the Blast were once again staring at a two-goal deficit.
True to their tenacious reputation, Bascome’s side mounted a final-quarter charge. Juan Pereira proved to be the catalyst, scoring early in the fourth before striking a dramatic equalizer in the 13th minute to force the game into extra time.
The drama reached its peak in the first overtime period. Seven minutes into the sudden-death session, Jairo Guevara found the back of the net for his second of the night, silencing the home crowd and sealing a vital victory for the Baltimore franchise. The result marks a significant turning point in the Blast's campaign as they continue their push up the MASL table.
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