Utica, Chihuahua, Iowa and Wichita all seeking league title this weekend

The host Iowa Demon Hawks will be looking to make league history this weekend by becoming the first back-to-back champions in the eight-year history of the Major Arena Soccer League 2.

But that doesn't mean they are the only team in Des Moines this weekend with a MASL 2 championship trophy already in their display case. 

Iowa won last year's championship with a perfect 15-0 mark, including 12 wins in the regular season, and three in three days in the postseason in which eight MASL 2 participated. Iowa met the Rochester Lancers in last year's finals in Wichita. Rochester had also completed a perfect season, but dropped the title game to the Demon Hawks, 8-3. Bruno Henrique had a hat trick, and Thiago Freitas – both veterans of the MASL – had a goal and three assists to lead the way. Iowa defeated Amarillo 11-7 in the semifinals, and opened the postseason with a 9-3 win over the St. Louis Ambush 2.

The Chihuahua Savage II won the MASL 2 title two seasons year, and as an organization, are looking for their second indoor championship in the 2024-25 season. Chihuahua's team in the first year of Major Arena Soccer League Women won its championship in this same building the last over the last weekend of March. The Savage II also won a “declared” championship in the Spring of 2020 with the best regular season record when the postseason was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.

Iowa, should they win this year, wouldn't be the third team to win at least two MASL 2 titles. The San Diego Sockers took home the league championship trophies at the end of the 2018-19 and 2021-22 campaigns. The MASL Sockers have won 16 indoor soccer titles, and are in the finals of the MASL playoffs again this year against the defending champion Chihuahua Savage. 

In 2022-23, Chihuahua II beat the Iowa Raptors 10-4 in the title game, led by two-goal games by Rene Loya, Fernando Peñalver Hinojos and Gilberto Lopez. In the semi-finals, the Savage rolled past the Wichita Wings, 14-2.

Saturday's first semifinal kicks off at 4:30 p.m. CDT at Buccaneer Arena is a rematch of that semifinals showdown two years ago, as Chihuahua enters the weekend as the No. 1 seed and the Wings are No. 4. The No. 3 seed, United Elite Krajisnik – the official MASL 2 affiliate of Utica City FC of the Major Arena Soccer League – will meet the host Demon Hawks (No. 2) at 7:30 CDT. Sunday's consolation final will start at 2 p.m. CDT, with the championship game kicking off at 5 p.m. CDT.

All of the MASL 2 playoff games will be broadcast live by the Iowa Champions League Network on YouTube, free of charge. 

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