02/23/2010 2:55 PM - SEVENTH CLASS TO BE INDUCTED INTO BALTIMORE BLAST HALL OF FAME ON MARCH 6
Former Players Pat Ercoli and Cris Vaccaro to Join Blast Legends; Blast To Celebrate 30th Season of Baltimore Soccer with Players from all 30 Years

The Baltimore Blast announced that former players Pat Ercoli and Cris Vaccaro will be inducted into the Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 6.  Original Blast Head Coach Kenny Cooper, former players Stan Stamenkovic, Mike Stankovic, Tim Wittman, Bruce Savage, Dave MacWilliams, Joey Fink, Heinz Wirtz, Keith Van Eron, Dominic Mobilio, Billy Ronson and Richard Chinapoo are already in the Hall of Fame, along with original MISL Commissioner Earl Foreman.  Ercoli and Vaccaro will be honored in a ceremony during halftime of the Blast game against the Monterrey La RaZa on March 6th.  

“I am pleased to announce the upcoming induction of Pat Ercoli and Cris Vaccaro into the Baltimore Blast Hall of Fame," said Blast Owner Ed Hale.  "Pat will always be remembered as a hard-working, opportunistic player who would run through a wall to score a goal.  Cris was a silent leader and the fans will always have fond memories of the goalkeeper jerseys he and his wife designed.  Both men left their mark on Baltimore's soccer landscape."

Ercoli, a forward, played for the original Blast from 1981-1985, was the second-leading goal scorer (34) and fourth-leading point-scorer (49) during the 1983-84 championship season.  He ranks ninth on the original Blast’s all-time scoring list with 176 points and is tied to rank fifth on the postseason all-time scoring list with 43 points.  He also led the MISL with 16 goals in the 1985 postseason.  Ercoli currently serves as the General Manager of the Rochester Rhinos of the USSF Division 2.

Vaccaro, a goalkeeper who played for the original Blast for the 1980-81 and 1991-92 seasons and for the Baltimore Spirit from 1992 to 1997, was the 1993 NPSL Goalkeeper of the Year.  He was a 1993 First-Team All-League selection, a 1994 Second-Team All-League selection and represented Baltimore in the 1993 and 1994 All-Star Games.  Vaccaro currently serves as the assistant coach for the Women’s Soccer team and goalkeeper trainer for Stockton State College soccer teams.  He is also the Head of Goalkeeping for the New Jersey Olympic Development Program and runs the Cris Vaccaro Team and Individual Soccer Training Programs.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions on March 6, the team will also celebrate the 30th season of professional soccer in Baltimore and will welcome several players from throughout the 30 years.

The Blast (7-7, third place in the MISL), will play Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia before returning to 1st Mariner Arena on March 5th and 6th for a doubleheader weekend of home games against the Philadelphia KiXX and Monterrey La RaZa, respectively.  The Blast has just six regular season games remaining and is battling for a spot in the 2010 MISL postseason.  The team will host sports legends Sam Jones, Wali Jones and Chuck Hatcher on March 5th as part of Hope4Life and Champions4Champions Night in conjunction with the Island Soccer League.  Single-game tickets cost $30, $22, $19 and $16 and are on sale at the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office, by calling TicketMaster at 410-547-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com.  For additional information on all Blast tickets, call the Blast office at 410-73-BLAST.

Baltimore Blast Class of 2010 Player Statistics:

Pat Ercoli’s Regular Season Stats:
Games Played - 170
Goals - 112
Assists - 64
Points - 176

Pat Ercoli’s Postseason Stats:
Games Played - 40
Goals - 34
Assists - 9
Points - 43

Cris Vaccaro’s Original Blast Regular Season:
Games Played - 43
Minutes - 2,418
Shots Faced - 1,183
Saves - 540
Goals Allowed - 220
GAA - 5.46
W-L - 20-18

Cris Vaccaro’s Original Blast Postseason:
Games Played - 6
Minutes - 316
Shots Faced - 182
Saves - 75
Goals Allowed - 29
GAA - 5.51
W-L - 1-4

Cris Vaccaro’s Current Blast/Spirit Regular Season:
Games Played - 132
Minutes - 7,350:39
Shots Faced - 2,635
Saves - 1,860
Goals Allowed - 775
GAA - 6.33
Points Allowed - 1,457
PAA - 11.89
3-point goals allowed - 45
2-point goals allowed - 592
1-point goals allowed - 138
W-L - 77-41

Cris Vaccaro’s Current Blast/Spirit Postseason:
Games Played - 13
Minutes - 739:38
Shots Faced - 267
Saves - 177
Goals Allowed - 89
GAA - 7.22
Points Allowed - 168
PAA - 13.62
3-point goals allowed - 5
2-point goals allowed - 69
1-point goals allowed - 15
W-L - 4-9