LATE PK LIFTS STARS OVER BALLARD FC 4-3 TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED

SEATTLE, WA. - The top two teams in the USL League Two Northwest Division faced off at Memorial Stadium on Saturday and it was a come-from-behind win for the Stars (4-0-2) over Ballard FC (3-1-1) which left Tacoma the only undefeated team in the division. Ballard led 2-0 late in the first half but the Stars engineered a comeback which was completed with a successful penalty kick in the 97th minute to earn the win.

Charlie Kosakoff emerged as the hero for Tacoma scoring goals in the 71st and 74th minutes before converting on the penalty kick. 

Down 2-0 late in the first half, Richy LaPointe-Guevara put the Stars on the scoreboard at the break. Kosakoff's first goal of the match leveled matters at 2-2 before he scored again three minutes later to give Tacoma their first lead of the night.

Memorial Stadium is a notoriously tough venue for visiting teams and Stars head coach Liviu Bird discussed that postgame in saying, "The players showed great character and belief to fight back from an early 2-0 deficit against a very difficult opponent and in the atmosphere they create at their home games."  

Charles Gaffney brought Ballard equal at 3-3 and the game remained there when the center referee called for six minutes of stoppage time.

It was in the last minute of added time when Kosakoff gave the Stars the 4-3 lead the match would end with. 

The Stars leaped Ballard to the top of the table with the win, but Coach Bird knows there are quite a few games left on the schedule. He said, "We've had a great start to the season, but we can't rest on our accomplishments up to this point. We need to keep improving certain facets of our game to make sure we give ourselves the best possible chance in the second half of the season.:

Tacoma will play on the road next Sunday at West Seattle Junction FC before returning home to face United PDX on Wednesday, June 19 at 7 pm.