Wisconsin Soccer Central

Facing the Chicago Mustangs in a match that figured to loom crucial to their Major Arena Soccer League playoff hopes, the Milwaukee Wave scored four times in the opening 10 minutes Saturday night and cruised to an 8-5 victory in front of 2,960 fans at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

Ian Bennett, J.C. Banks (Milwaukee Riverside/UW-Green Bay) and defender Jonathan Greenfield had two goals apiece as the Wave (8-5) moved a half-game ahead of the Mustangs (7-5) in the Central Division – the top two teams in each of the league's four divisions qualify for the postseason after the 20-game regular season.

Defender Victor Quiroz put Milwaukee ahead in the opening minute, finishing off a pass from Bato Radoncic for his first goal of the season just 55 seconds in. Seventy-three seconds later, Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay) was alone at the back post to redirect a pass from Luan Sales Oliveira past Chicago goalkeeper Jesus Flores for his eighth of the season – Walls has scored in five of the past six games.

Banks further extended the lead when he pounced on a loose ball near midfield, raced in and blasted a shot over Flores that clipped off the underside of the goal frame and in to make it 3-0 at 7:07. Bennett followed with a drive of his own, crushing a shot from the left side as the Wave led 4-0 after exactly 10 minutes.

The Mustangs, who beat Milwaukee 5-4 on Nov. 29 in the teams' first meeting, pulled within 4-2. But Bennett racked up his team-best 18th goal 4:35 into the second and Greenfield was on the doorstep to finish off the rebound after Flores saved a shot by Anthony Arico with 2:51 left in the half to restore the four-goal lead.

Greenfield's second of the night capped a slick passing sequence that started with Quiroz and included Radoncic, as the South African slotted a shot under the sliding Flores on the right side for the only goal of the third quarter. Banks bagged his third straight two-goal game by scoring his 13th of the season – second on the team behind Bennett – from a tight angle on the right side, making it 8-2 with 7:44 to play.

Goalkeeper-assistant coach Nick Vorberg made 13 saves for the Wave, who saw the Mustangs score three times in the final 5:30 to account for the final score.

Milwaukee closes out a six-game homestand at 7:05 p.m. Friday against the Baltimore Blast (10-0), one of the league's two unbeaten teams. The Blast swept the Wave 13-8 and 14-10 in multi-point scoring matches last month in Baltimore – Milwaukee's other two losses were to the unbeaten Missouri Comets (12-0), the runaway Central Division leaders.

• The Wave bolstered their attack by acquiring forward Stefan St. Louis from the St. Louis Ambush in exchange for cash considerations Monday. The 27-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago had six goals and six assists in nine games for the Ambush, scoring in all but three of his appearances – two of those losses to Milwaukee. St. Louis, who played college soccer at Oakland (Mich.), also played for the Detroit Waza Flo in the Professional Soccer Arena League and with the Comets last season in the Major Indoor Soccer League last season. On Twitter: @s10starplayer