STARS BATTLE IN DALLAS BUT COME UP SHORT 6-4
DALLAS, TX. – The Tacoma Stars (3-6) completed their longest road trip of the season with a 6-4 loss to the Sidekicks in Allen, Texas this afternoon.
The Sidekicks owned the first quarter and scored three goals on three shots to put Tacoma in a hole after 15 minutes of play. Arthur Ivo netted a pair of goals for the Sidekicks in the quarter with a Felipe De Sousa marker in between to put the Stars down 3-0 headed to the second quarter.
The Stars defense stepped up their pressure and held the Sidekicks without a shot in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Tacoma offense held the ball for much of the quarter and Mike Ramos split two Dallas defenders and went around Sidekicks keeper Juan Gamboa to pick up Tacoma’s first goal with 5:17 to play in the half. Just 15 seconds later Ramos beat Gamboa again, this time with a rocket from the right side that the Dallas netminder deflected into the upper-right corner of the goal to cut the Sidekicks lead to 3-2 after one half of play.
The lone goal of the third quarter belonged to the Sidekicks when Kristian Quintana streaked down the left side on a breakaway and slid it past Stars keeper Danny Waltman with 9:14 to go in the third. That goal gave Dallas a 4-2 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
Dallas took a three-goal lead when Freddy Moojen tapped in a redirect of a shot with 11:17 remaining in the fourth. The Stars picked up a goal from Alex Megson just four seconds after Dallas killed a Tacoma power play to make it a 5-3 Sidekicks advantage with 8:48 on the clock. Alessandro Canale set up Chase Hanson’s second goal of the season for Tacoma to cut the Dallas lead to 5-4 with 5:49 left to play.
Ramos donned the sixth attacker jersey for the Stars in the final minutes, but Dallas withstood the pressure and a flurry of Stars shots. The Sidekicks cleared the ball towards the Tacoma empty net and Ivo raced the length of the field to tap in the final goal of the night giving Dallas the 6-4 win with 4 seconds remaining.
Tacoma returns home after their six-game road stretch which saw the team go 1-5 during those matches. They will face the Turlock Cal Express at the accesso ShoWare Center on Friday January 10 at 7:35.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – DAL Ivo (Gamboa) 1:58; DAL De Sousa (De Andrade) 3:09; DAL Ivo 11:22. Penalties – none.
2nd – TAC Ramos 9:43; TAC Ramos 9:58. Penalties – DAL De Andrade yellow card (dissent) 10:59.
3rd – DAL Quintana 5:46. Penalties – DAL De La Gala blue card (reckless tackle) 4:08.
4th – DAL Moojen (De Andrade) 3:43; TAC Megson (Perera) 6:12; TAC Hanson (Canale) 9:11; DAL Ivo 14:58. Penalties – DAL De La Gala blue card (reckless tackle) 4:08.
Attendance – 1,835