A split-second after dribbling across the face of the goal and ripping a fourth-quarter shot near-post, Baltimore Blast forward Machel Millwood struck the green carpet as the ball hit the back of the net. Millwood sprung back to his feet, celebrating his first goal after returning from a knee injury suffered in training camp.
The 7,732 Blast fans in attendance for Friday night?s game with Detroit, let out a collective sigh of relief as the team extended its lead to 8-5 in a game it eventually won, 11-5.
“Oh man, [the win] felt good,” said Millwood, who has returned from a strained medial collateral ligament.
The Towson University product finished with a goal and two assists.
“He had a great game,” Blast president and general manager Kevin Healey said. “He got us off to a great start, and his goal in the fourth quarter was huge. We were clinging to a one-goal lead.”
Millwood said he could have come back the week prior for the home opener against Chicago, but the coaching staff wanted him to recover to full health.
“I think that was a good idea,” said Millwood, who wore an ice pack on his left knee in the Blast locker room. “I just wanted to come out and show them that I?m getting to that point and prove that to them. I just wanted to make an impact early and let them know that I was going to be there for the whole game.”
Millwood, at 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, is one of the Blast?s more physically imposing attackers. In two seasons with the team, the 27-year-old has scored 23 goals with 14 assists in 34 games. Despite scoring series-winning goals in the team?s championship run through the playoffs last season, he is still considered a raw talent on the verge of a breakout season.
“In the outdoor game, he was a game-breaker,” Healey said. “He?s still learning this game. … He?s getting better and better as he progresses. It was good to see him back on the field.”
