Strykers Earn Dramatic 7-6 Away Win Over Stars

Forward Powell Bags Hat Trick in Crucial Victory

Kent, Wash. — The Empire Strykers earned a dramatic and crucial 7-6 away victory over the Tacoma Stars on Sunday evening, improving to 3-6-0 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) on their Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign. In the game’s highly entertaining second half, which featured a total of nine goals, Empire scored the winner after earlier seeing the opposition come back from a three-goal deficit. While first-year Strykers man Ant Powell put up a breakout performance for his new club, bagging a hat trick, his teammate Brandon Gomez produced several spectacular saves in net, in addition to recording an assist.

The hosts grabbed the early lead on a brilliant individual effort by Khai Brisco, who dribbled inside from the left and rifled a bullet inside the near post, Alex Caceres being credited with the helper. The visitors from Southern California drew even inside the final third of the opening period, as Ali Somow received the ball from Polo Hernandez, drove toward the center from the right, and blasted a shot inside the left post from the top of the arc.

Just as it seemed the first quarter would finish tied at 1-1, the Stars reclaimed the advantage with just under nine seconds to go. Chase Hanson laid the ball off to the left on a restart from around the yellow line, and Jamael Cox sent a right-footed curler into the far-side upper ninety from well outside the area.

Empire leveled the match again inside the closing third of the second period, forward Powell collecting from Strykers backstop Brandon Gomez and shielding the ball with his back toward the goal, followed by some clever footwork to turn inside and calmly slot underneath Tacoma ‘keeper Luis Birrueta for 2-2.

The Stars had a golden chance to jump back on top with seconds left before the break, as Kyle Rivers sprinted in on goal all by himself. However, Empire’s Gomez came off his line and stood his ground for an excellent block.

The away side took its first lead in the frantic early stages of the third quarter. After Tacoma netminder Birrueta was shown a blue card for taking down Abdul Mansaray on a breakaway, club legend Danny Waltman took over in net for the subsequent shootout, which was confidently converted by Powell. Texas native Powell bagged his second tally of the match by skillfully dribbling around Waltman and finishing into the open goal.

Shortly after the netter, Nani Mendoza could have equalized. The midfielder found himself one on one with Gomez, who produced a stunning reflex save to send the attempted finish just wide left. Still early in the period, the hosts did make it 3-3, as Cox picked out the far-side netting with a well-placed effort from the right.

The Strykers would claim the day’s next three tallies, making it 6-3 by the second minute end of the closing period.

First, Walter Díaz González recorded a clever assist on a restart as Justin Stinson blasted the ball underneath the crossbar from the right. Then, Powell completed his hat trick by scoring on a low drive before the end of the third quarter, followed by a Díaz netter early in the fourth that completed the half dozen for his team. On his goal, former Cuba futsal international Díaz received the ball from Hernandez and stunned the ‘keeper by releasing a left-footed streamer from range that found its way underneath the bar.

To the Stars’ credit, they refused to give up and scored three straight of their own to level the match at 6-6. After Mike Ramos pulled back the first one on a helper by Cox, Rivers won possession in midfield and picked out Mendoza, who faked out onrushing netminder Gomez and passed the ball into the open net. Finally, Hanson sent the home crowd into a frenzy by way of an absolute rocket from the yellow line that nestled inside the left upright.

However, the jubilation at accesso shoWare Center would be short-lived, as former Texas Outlaws man Lucas Ramalho picked the perfect time to score his first goal since joining Empire during the offseason. The Brazilian American found himself lucky to see his shot from the right take a wicked deflection off a defender and sneak inside the near post, leaving Birrueta without a chance.

Tacoma spent much of the final five minutes and change fielding six attackers. The dramatic closing moments nearly produced yet another equalizer with under 30 seconds left to play. A wide-open Missael Lopez attempted to finish from the doorstep, but only to be stifled by Gomez, whose point-blank block with his left hand would prove to be the game-winning save.

The Empire Strykers return home this coming week for a pair of key meetings with MASL title contenders. After taking on rivals San Diego Sockers on Thursday, January 22, Head Coach Onua Obasi’s men will face off with the Kansas City Comets on Sunday, January 25. Information on season tickets can be found here. Single-game tickets are available here.