Strykers Defy Fatigue, But Fall 3-2 Away to Stars

Palmer, ‘keepers shine as Empire drops third straight

Kent, Wash. — The Empire Strykers left it too late again on Saturday evening, falling 3-2 in regulation time away to the Tacoma Stars and dropping to 1-3-0 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) on their Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign. Playing without star attacker Marco Fabián and in their second game in as many days, the Strykers defied their tired legs and minds, battling the well-rested hosts to a fiercely contested affair. In the end, slightly better finishing along with twelve saves and a stunning 85.7% save percentage by backstop Luis Birrueta made the difference for Tacoma.

Empire suffered its third straight defeat despite excellent performances by goalkeeper Brian Orozco and defender Robert Palmer. While Orozco bagged a goal and boasted a very strong save percentage of his own at 78.6%, backline anchor Palmer had two blocks and an assist on the night.

The home side took a very early lead, as Jamael Cox collected the ball inside his own half and flew down the left before cutting to his right and firing inside the near post with just over a minute played. Tacoma would double its advantage about halfway through the opening period, Correa picking out Tyler John for 2-1 on a clinical counterattack. The Strykers had captain Palmer to thank for not falling behind by three, as the Jamaican blocked the ball off the line on a wide-open Eddie Na attempt that had already beaten ‘keeper Orozco.

Empire cut its deficit in half before the end of the opening quarter, Orozco coming off his line to join the attack and releasing an ambitious drive from well outside the area that took a touch off the head of Stars defender Alex Caceres and left backstop Birrueta without a chance.

With a relatively uneventful second period in the books, the Strykers continued to dominate possession after the break but didn’t have any more success creating dangerous looks on goal. Instead, the home side made it 3-1 late in the third quarter. With both teams down to five men following a lengthy video review that resulted in a blue card shown to each Empire and Tacoma, Logan Jones found the net on the restart, having been picked out by Caceres.

Unsurprisingly, the fourth period turned out just as stingy as the previous three, with the Strykers pushing forward and the Stars preventing clear chances with their impressive defensive discipline. With his side fielding six attackers, Justin Stinson made it interesting in the closing stages, cutting the visitors’ deficit to 3-2 with just under 37 seconds left on the clock. Positioned on the left, the 2025 All-Star caught opposition netminder Birrueta by surprise when he rifled a right-footed bullet into the near-side upper ninety, needing very little space to release the shot.

The game’s dramatic conclusion saw Empire push aggressively for the equalizer, but to no avail, as Tacoma survived the onslaught courtesy of more outstanding team defending and quality goalkeeping by Birrueta.

The Strykers will look to get their season on track when they travel to take on host Milwaukee Wave on New Year’s Eve. Head Coach Onua Obasi’s men return home to Toyota Arena for a rematch with the Tacoma Stars on Thursday, January 8.

Information on Empire Strykers season tickets can be found here. Single-game tickets to all matches at Toyota Arena are available here.