Stars Downed By Mustangs, 9-6

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Tacoma Stars (10-9) incurred their first home loss of the season in a 9-6 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Mustangs (10-8) on Friday night at the ShoWare Center.

It was a match engrossed in scoring runs, as the Mustangs would log unanswered scoring streaks of five and four goals, while Tacoma scored three unanswered goals on two separate occasions.

Forwards Dan Antoniuk (one goal, one assist) and Alex Megson (two assists) led the Stars on offense with two points each. Over nearly 56 minutes in net, goalkeeper Danny Waltman logged eight saves on 17 shots.

The Mustangs came out of the gates firing, scoring a trio of goals in the first quarter while keeping the Stars off the scoreboard. Douglas Dos Santos broke open the scoring just over three minutes into the match, and was followed by a pair of goals from Taylor Bond to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.

A third consecutive goal from Bond 24 seconds into the second quarter extended the Mustangs lead to 4-0, and Alexis Camarena pushed it out to 5-0 with his first goal of the night a minute. Three minutes later the Stars offense burst onto the scene, scoring three quick goals over a span of just under five minutes of play. Midfielder Jamael Cox opened the floodgates and was followed by scores from forward Ty Hall — his first of the year — and midfielder Joseph Cairel to cut the Mustangs lead to 5-3. Chicago would answer with one final goal in the first half, this time off the foot of Francisco Gonzalez, to extend their edge back out to three goals at 6-3 headed into halftime.

Chicago built on their lead with three unanswered goals after halftime, stretching into the ninth minute of the fourth quarter, giving the Mustangs their largest lead of the night at 9-3.

A furious rally by the Stars over the final five minutes of the match brought Tacoma back within striking distance, but could not fully close the gap the Mustangs had built. Extra-attacker goals by forward Joey Gjertsen and Antoniuk sandwiched a goal lined in by defender Chase Hanson to create the final score of 9-6.

The Stars, still looking to secure a spot in the MASL playoffs, wrap up the regular season with a match against the division-leading San Diego Sockers at the ShoWare Center next Saturday, March 4. First kick is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT.

 Single game tickets, group outings, family packs, and suite offerings for the Tacoma Stars 2016-17 season are available now. To purchase, call 1-844-STARS-TIME or visit the Stars online at www.tacomastars.com. The most up-to-date news and notes about the Stars can be found by following the Stars on Twitter (@TacomaStarsSC) or liking the team on Facebook.