FURY II TOO MUCH FOR BLIZZARD

DENVER, CO – The Colorado Blizzard’s offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders last night in their 7-4 loss to the Ontario Fury II, the team’s second straight. 

Part of the reason the Blizzard struggled is because they were facing a talented Fury team who played very well despite experiencing a travel delay the night before getting to their game with the Inferno, a tough 13-11 loss. Another reason is because they were without several key players. Blizzard defender Alex Moseley was absent, serving a one game suspension for his ejection last week for timed penalty accumulation; any combination of blue cards and yellow cards totaling three results in automatic ejection. They also didn’t field Stibe Torres, Ryan Mcaleer, Shane Wheeler, or Tony Thomas. Coach Wells said he planned on resting a couple players and giving others their first opportunities of the season. 

Making their first appearances were Radu Marcu, Connor Francis, and Mario Matute, who all performed well.The entire offensive output for the Blizzard came in the second period; they were shut out in the first, third, and fourth periods.

Blizzard scoring summary: 2nd (6:10) – Andrew Mejia (Jay Hamilton), 2nd (5:13) – Andrew White (Cody Stratton), 2nd (2:24) – Udobong Obotette (unassisted), and 2nd (1:19) – Jay Hamilton (Udobong Obotette).

MASL 2 – Eastern Conference standings:

1. Chicago Mustangs (9-1)

2. Colorado Blizzard (7-2)

3. Cincinnati Swerve (6-3)

4. Muskegon Risers (3-8)

5. Detroit Waza Flo (1-9)

The Fury II looked determined to not drop both games of their road trip. Led by Head Coach Bernie Lilavois, Ontario Fury franchise owner and arena soccer legend, the team executed a solid game plan and managed to keep possession of the ball for stretches of play, at times frustrating the Blizzard. Bernie even suited up, contributing a goal and two assists to his side’s cause on their way to the win. 

Fury II scoring summary: 1st (4:00) – William Raygoza (Raphael Santana), 2nd (14:40) – Douglas Lima(Moja Hale), 2nd (9:43) – Bernie Lilavois (unassisted), 2nd (3:07) – Robert Tornel (Bernie Lilavois), 3rd(13:46) – Raphael Santana (Bernie Lilavois), 3rd (10:49) – Douglas Lima (Robert Tornel), and 4th (00:30) –Robert Tornel (unassisted).

MASL 2 – Western Conference standings:

1. Colorado Inferno (7-4)

2. Ontario Fury II (7-5)

3. San Diego Sockers 2 (5-5)

4. Las Vegas Knights (3-6)

5. Arizona Impact (2-7)

The Blizzard look to get back in the win column next weekend as they travel to Cincinnati to take on the Swerve on Saturday, February 24 at 8:05 pm ET, then they face the Chicago Mustangs the next afternoon, Sunday, February 25 at 4:05 pm CT. 

Follow the Colorado Blizzard on Facebook to link to a livestream of the games.On March 3, the Blizzard finish the regular season against rival Colorado Inferno in Colorado Springs inthe fourth and final installment of the I-25 Derby for the 2017-18 MASL2 season. The Blizzard lead the series 2-1. If the two teams meet again after this, it will be in the MASL2 Championship. Before that,however, the Blizzard will host their opening round of the post-season on Saturday, March 31 at the Denver Coliseum. Time and opponent TBA. As always, tickets will be available at www.axs.com or at the Coliseum box-office.

##Colorado Blizzard##

About the Colorado Blizzard:

The Blizzard is a charter member of the newly launched Major Arena Soccer League 2 (MASL2), which serves as the second division in the professional indoor soccer tier under the Major Arena Soccer League. The Major Arena Soccer League launched in 2008 and currently has 16 teams located in the United States and Mexico. MASL2, or “M2” as it’s called, has 10 teams spread across the U.S. To learn more about MASL2, please visit www.M2soccer.com. Prior to joining M2, the Blizzard were standout members of the Premier Arena Soccer League, an amateur league founded in 1997, boasting a lifetime record of 47-10-6 and were six-time PASL Rocky Mountain Division Champions and twice PASL Regular Season Champion (2010-11 and 2011-12).

The Colorado Blizzard Sports franchise mission includes being ambassadors of soccer, contributing to our community, and youth soccer development. We are working with local organizations such as Children’s Hospital, Boys and Girls Clubs, Special Olympics, and metro area public recreation departments. To learn more about the Colorado Blizzard, please visit www.CoBlizz.com.