By the time the ball hit the back of the net, Denison Cabral had already picked out his destination. The Baltimore Blast?s 5-foot-4 veteran forward hopped onto the dasher boards and, like Spiderman, ascended to the top of the glass, peering over the crowd with an arm in the air.
For fans at 1st Mariner Arena, it was just another eccentric celebration from the Brazil native during the team?s 18-12 home-opening win over Chicago Saturday. For Cabral and his teammates, it was a sign that the offensive spark plug had returned from two heartbreaking seasons.
“I?m just happy Denison is playing and enjoying himself,” Blast coach Danny Kelly said. “You could tell he wasn?t with it right away. He?s going to get better with time. It?s just going to take him a few more games to get back to being Denison.”
Cabral missed all but 14 games the past two seasons due to a pair of knee surgeries. He played in eight games last season before undergoing anterior cruciate ligament surgery on Feb. 9.
While Cabral is finding his niche again on the field, Kelly will likely be content with the current output. Cabral had a goal and three assists Saturday. He is just happy to be back out on the carpet.
“More than anything, it?s special to be back home with that much support with the crowd,” Cabral said between autographs outside the Blast locker room. “That?s what makes me feel like I never want to retire. We?ve got a great crowd ? and it was very exciting to be back on the field.”
Cabral entered the season as the franchise?s all-time leading point scorer, with 720. And with the re-introduction of multi-point scoring this season, his total is likely to rise ? so long as he?s healthy.
“My legs are fine,” Cabral said. “I just have to get that game speed and get my game back with the ball on my feet a little bit more.”
He had the ball at his feet on aset-play goal Saturday, and the celebration that followed brought nearly all of the 11,286 fans to their feet.
The Cabral file
» Age: 32
» Position: Forward
» Height: 5-foot-4
» Did you know? Cabral is the head coach of the St. Mary?s boys varsity soccer team ? A native of Brazil, he began playing professional soccer there at 15 ? Entered the season with 358 goals in 265 career games, all with Baltimore ? Resides in Odenton with his wife, Michelle, and 5-year-old daughter, Daniela.
