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 The Rochester Lancers came out firing against the Milwaukee Wave Saturday night – the Major Indoor Soccer League expansion team found the back of the net just 6 seconds into the match and scored the game's first seven points.
But once the Wave got rolling, there was no stopping them.
Defender Joe Hammes (Cedarburg) sparked Milwaukee's comeback and capped an 11-point surge with a 3-pointer late in the first quarter as the Wave cruised to a 24-9 victory in front of 3,202 fans at U.S. Cellular Arena.
Hammes also had two assists for defending MISL champion Milwaukee (6-0), which improved to 5-0 on its home turf. Forward Greg Howes also scored twice, while midfielder Marcio Leite had a goal and three assists and defender JP Rodrigues added a goal and two assists for the league's top offense.
Jeremy Ortiz stunned the Wave with with early goal, then scored again at the 4:20 mark to double the lead. A 3-pointer by Mauricio Salles 7:16 into the game extended Rochester's lead to 7-0.
But Hammes, whose 19 points are tied for the most by a defender in the league, got Milwaukee on the board 40 seconds later and Tom Oatley, Matt Stewart and Giuliano Oliveiro followed with goals before Hammes scored from beyond the arc with 10 seconds left in the quarter to push the Wave's lead to 11-7.
Salles pulled the Lancers (3-5) within two with his second goal of the night with 4:46 left in the first half, but Rodrigues connected on a 3-pointer, Howes scored his first of the game before halftime and Milwaukee scored all four goals after the break to remain the league's lone unbeaten team.
Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg finished with eight saves for the Wave, who play host to the Wichita Wings on Friday night. Three of Milwaukee's next four games are at home, meaning the team will play eight of its first 10 matches at U.S. Cellular Arena.
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