STARS DOUBLED UP BY BARRACUDAS 8-4
HIDALGO, TX. – The Tacoma Stars (4-3) wrapped up a four-game road trip Sunday evening in an 8-4 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Barracudas (2-3). The loss sends the Stars home 2-2 on the trip.
Unlike the first three matches of the road trip, the Stars stuck first in this one as Michael Ramos scored his fourth goal of the season with 4:45 left in the opening quarter. The Barracudas leveled the game 1-1 when Emmanuel Aguirre scored on a Yotsi Martinez assist with 3:13 remaining. That would be all the scoring in the first half after the teams played a scoreless second quarter.
The third quarter belonged to Rio Grande Valley as they knocked in four unanswered goals, the first of which came off the foot of Diego Zuniga to put the Barracudas in front for good with just over two minutes played in the quarter. Carlos Hernandez, Gustavo Rosales, and Moises Gonzalez all added goals for Rio Grande Valley in the third and the Barracudas led 5-1 going into the final quarter.
The Stars made it a close game, scoring three out of the next four goals beginning with Nick Perera on an assist from Philip Lund with 13:46 left in the game. With 10:28 remaining, Gonzalez scored his second of the night for Rio Grande Valley. Five seconds later, Zuniga was sent off on a blue card to bring the Stars power-play unit on the field. It took Pablo Da Silva, with an assist from Ramos just 11 seconds to pick up the goal on the man-advantage. The marker was Da Silva’s first as a Tacoma Star.
With the Stars trailing 6-3, Ramos banged in his second goal of the game to bring Tacoma within two with 7:54 to play. Barracudas keeper Diego Angel Arriaga scored a goal from his own defensive zone at the 6:50 mark giving Rio Grande Valley a three-goal cushion. Mitchell Cardenas closed out scoring for the Barracudas with an empty-net goal with 1:06 on the clock.
Scoring Summary
1st Qtr- TAC- Ramos 10:04; RGV Aguirre (Martinez) 11:42.
2nd Qtr- No Scoring
3rd Qtr- RGV Zuniga (Gonzalez) 2:25; RGV Hernandez 3:34; RGV Rosales (Cardenas) 4:10; RGV Gonzalez 14:40.
4th Qtr- TAC- Perera (Lund) 1:16; RGV Gonzalez (shootout) 4:31; TAC Ramos 7:03; RGV Arriaga 8:07; RGV Cardenas (Rosales) 13:42
Shots in the game- Tacoma 1-2-5-7 (15); RGV 10-5-10-5 (30)
Attendance – not announced
The Stars return home Friday, January 11 against the Monterrey Flash. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:35 pm. Guarantee your seat to all the action by calling 1-844-STARS-84 or go to www.tacomastars.com.
Saturday January 12 is Tacoma Stars Teddy Bear Toss Night vs Ontario. Bring, or purchase your teddy bear at the accesso ShoWare Center and then when the Stars score their first goal of the game….let them fly on to the field! All stuffed animals collected will go to benefit Olive Crest and a big thank you to Spirit 105.3 FM for helping organize this great event!
There’s still time to purchase 2018-2019 Season Tickets or a Legacy Membership with the Tacoma Stars. Guarantee your seat to all the action by calling 1-844-STARS-84, or emailing info@tacomastars.com, or go to www.tacomastars.com.
Single game tickets to all Tacoma Stars home games are available. Head to tacomastars.showare.com to purchase your tickets.
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