Lawal, Empire “Hungry” for Away Leg at Milwaukee

Strykers forward-midfielder on going deep: “Why not now?”

Ontario, Calif. — When the Empire Strykers take on host Milwaukee Wave in the second leg of the two teams’ Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) quarterfinal series on Monday, they will do so with the momentum of four straight wins, including an emphatic 6-3 opening-leg victory at Toyota Arena this past Thursday. If the Strykers can prevail in the hostile confines of UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, they will move on to a semifinal clash with the Baltimore Blast. In the event of a loss to the Wave, a 15-minute mini game will determine which side advances.

Sixth-seeded Empire faces third-seeded Milwaukee this coming Monday, April 6, 2026, at 4:35 p.m PT. The English-language live video broadcast will reach U.S. and international audiences via MASL+, the MASL’s YouTube channel, Unbeaten Channel, National Soccer Network (NSN) and SLVR, with several of the platforms making the action available on demand as well. The Spanish-language live video broadcast will air exclusively in Mexico via the FOX Sports lineup of channels.

The Strykers’ opening-leg home win over the Wave in front of a boisterous crowd of 3,794 was powered by a comprehensive team performance and by standout displays from goalkeeper Brandon Gomez and backline anchor Robert “Berto” Palmer, who has been the club’s Interim Head Coach since mid-March. While Gomez recorded 14 saves and an excellent save percentage of 82.4%, along with an assist, Palmer finished the match with a goal, two helpers and four blocked opposition shots.

The Southern Californians held a 2-0 edge at the end of the first period that they managed to maintain until just over two minutes from intermission, only to concede twice within 19 seconds and conclude the opening half level at two goals apiece. They went on to outscore their opposition 4-1 after the break.

Forward-midfielder Qudus Lawal made his sixth consecutive appearance for Empire in the match. The pro indoor and outdoor veteran laced up for the Wave in 2022-23 as well as last season.

“We're confident in what we're doing — the new style Berto is having us play,” he said. “That’s why we were on them from the start and got the first two goals. We executed our game plan and outplayed them in every area of the pitch. The goals they scored to tie it were unnecessary. We went away from our game plan and it hurt us.”

Lawal continued, “Milwaukee is a transition team. To keep up with them, you have to throw the same transition game at them. Then it comes down to who is disciplined enough to track their man and fast enough to beat him. Once we went back to that, we came out of halftime fresh and flying.”

Team captain and new Interim Head Coach Palmer has once again been a key contributor on both defense and offense. Prior to his exquisite showing in the opening-leg game against the Wave, the veteran not only finished the regular season third league-wide in blocks (45) but also topped his side in assists (14). When factoring in the knockout phase, he has collected 49 blocks in 23 games played, to go with 20 points and a 0.87 points-per-game average.

Second place in blocks on the Strykers during the regular season was claimed by MASL rookie Filipe Dutra (21). Like Palmer, netminder Brian Orozco was a key figure beyond his core responsibilities. In addition to sitting third in the league in goals-against average (5.06 in 18 games/~806 mins), the 24-year-old Orozco earned three netters and five assists for a remarkable 0.42 points per game. On average, he recorded one point for roughly every 109 minutes spent on the field.

Fellow ‘keeper Gomez, who backstopped Empire to Thursday’s victory over Milwaukee, boasted an even better goals-against average than Orozco during the regular season (4.71 in 13 games/~421 mins). However, he was ineligible for the MASL leaderboard because he logged too few minutes.

Strykers legend Justin Stinson not only topped the roster in points (27) and jointly with Mounir Alami in goals (15 each) but also ranked second in assists (12) and in points per game (1.13 in 24 games). First place in points per game was claimed by Alami (1.19 in 21 games), who was also second in points (25). Alan Perez tied for the league lead in short-handed goals (2), and his teammate Ant Powell tied for eighth in power play goals (2).

In Milwaukee, Empire faces an opponent who narrowly missed out on a first-round bye, having placed third in a three-way photo finish for first, despite closing out the regular season with three straight home wins after a 6-3 loss to the visiting Strykers on March 15. Prior to its 6-3 playoff loss to Robert Palmer’s side 18 days later, first-year Head Coach Marcio Leite’s men defeated visiting Utica City FC 11-7. By reaching the elimination stages, the Wave continues its proud tradition of never having missed the playoffs in the MASL’s 13-year history. The club lifted the championship trophy at the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign.

“From what I’ve seen in practice, I feel really good about this game,” said Empire’s Qudus Lawal in looking ahead to the upcoming return leg in Wisconsin. “It will be about grit, hard work, and about who wants it more. The way we get into their heads is by scoring first. That just helps us disrupt whatever plan they’ve got.”

The Nigerian American added, “If I look at the Milwaukee team, they have veterans that can match up with our veterans, but our young guns are more athletic but also have experience. They play smart and can run for sixty minutes straight. If teams can’t match that, they’re in trouble.”

The Wave’s opening-leg matchup with the Strykers, who previously grabbed a dramatic 5-4 overtime win over visiting St. Louis, marked only the seventh ever meeting between the two teams. All six contests prior to the quarterfinal series had been part of regular season play, with Empire now leading the all-time head to head 5-2, which includes a 1-0 record in playoff encounters. None of the seven total meetings have been decided in overtime or a shootout.

Milwaukee defeated the Ontario Fury (today’s Empire Strykers) in 2014-15, both MASL founding members’ second campaign in the league, followed by a Fury victory in 2019-20. Having again downed the visiting Wave in 2024-25 (by a 10-7 final score), the Strykers then fell 3-1 away in the 2025-26 regular season series opener on December 31, followed by an 8-7 home win in mid-February. Empire’s subsequent 6-3 road victory at Milwaukee in mid-March, which saw the Californians claim the series 2-1, marked Robert Palmer’s maiden match as player-coach. The Strykers then added Thursday’s 6-3 playoff win over the Wave.

Milwaukee had by far the greatest attacking output in 2025-26 but also gave up the fourth-most goals of all eight MASL clubs. A quartet of Wave players wreaked havoc in opposition halves throughout the regular season, with Alex Sanchez, Mario Alvarez, Alex Steinwascher and Oscar Flores each putting up outstanding numbers.

While Sanchez led the league in goals (42) and finished runner-up in points (27) and points per game (2.04 in 24 games) as well as tied for eighth in assists (17), Alvarez ranked fourth in assists (21) as well as tied for fourth in points per game (1.83 in 23 games), for sixth in points (42), jointly with Steinwascher for eighth in goals (21), and jointly with Flores for ninth in power play goals (2). Midfielder Steinwascher also claimed eighth in points (40) and finished tied for fifth in assists (19) and for eighth in points per game (1.67 in 24 games), with Flores sitting fifth in goals (26).

Milwaukee received additional offensive contributions from Max Ferdinand, Ricardo Carvalho and Andre Hayne. While Ferdinand ranked tied for tenth in helpers (16), Carvalho was tied for eighth in points per game (1.67 in 12 games) and jointly with Hayne and others for fourth in power play goals (3).

Alex Steinwascher has been a major asset on both sides of the ball for the Wave, as his blocks total (33) saw him tied for fourth in the MASL. Shawn Azcueta had the second-most blocks (25) of all Milwaukee players.

Even the goalkeeper position has factored into the attack for Empire’s next opponent. Up-and-comer Gerardo Perez bagged no fewer than seven goals during the regular season, along with one assist, making for a staggering points-per-game average of 0.57 (in 14 games/~413 mins). The 21-year-old boasted a point for roughly every 52 minutes spent on the turf.

“Obviously, their fans are going to be loud, but I feel that we’re ready for that,” offered Strykers forward-midfielder Lawal in concluding his remarks. “It’s going to be feisty up there, so we have to match their energy from the get-go. I don’t think we need to change much. We always have to adjust to our opponent a bit, but we're mostly focused on getting even better at our new style.”

He continued, “I don’t want to jinx it, but we're going in with confidence. I’ve been on both sides, and I can see how hungry our guys are. I’m a big fan of that. You don’t want to wait to win. Next season is never guaranteed, so why not now?”