For the past two months, Blast fans have held their breath whenever the ball found Lee Tschantret on the offensive end of the floor.
Tschantret was within six points of career point No. 1,000 for over a month. Fans were growing anxious.
“From the moment they announced he was getting close, was the moment he started hitting posts,” Blast coach Danny Kelly said.
So it was no wonder the decibel level among the 5,072 fans at 1st Mariner Arena Friday night increased when Tschantret had aclear look in front of the goal early in the third quarter. His header was high, but rookie Matt Watson drove home the rebound, giving Tschantret the assist and the milestone.
While the fans let out a roar of appreciation, Tschantret?s reaction was a sigh of relief.
“I am actually kind of glad it?s out of the way,” Tschantret said of the milestone. “When that ball went in I knew I was going to get a goal or an assist on it.”
He added three more points Saturday night and has now put his accomplishment in the rearview.
“It?s not a point of getting frustrated, for me just getting it over with is fine with me,” Tschantret said. “Indoor is one of those things where some guys score a lot of points and you don?t really know how much work they do, and some guys do a lot of work and don?t score a lot of points.”
Tschantret, a fierce competitor, is a combination of both. He becomes the 14th player in league history to reach 1,000 points, having already set the record for career penalty minutes.
“I feel fortunate to have been a teammate of his ? I?m happy for him,” Kelly said. “It?s a tribute to his versatility, his longevity and him as a player.”
Tschantret was given one game ball, signed by all his teammates, while another is likely destined for display at the Sports Legends museum. Tschantret was happy to do it at home.
“It?s always nice in front of my wife, and kids and friends,” Tschantret said. “The fans here are absolutely fantastic. Having milestones at home is always great.”
Tschantret?s milestone
» Tschantret has recorded 15 points this season, and 323 of his 1,003 have come with Baltimore.
» Tschantret scored 50 goals with 40 assists in four seasons at Albany State University, twice earning All-American honors.
» Indoor soccer legend Hector Marinaro, for whom the MISL MVP is named, set the record with 2,339 career points.
