STARS FALL BEHIND EARLY IN 9-5 LOSS TO ONTARIO

by Pete Richmire

LAKELAND, FL. – The Stars (2-3) gave up four straight goals in the first quarter and could not recover as they were defeated by the Ontario Fury (4-0) by a 9-5 final. The Fury’s Franck Tayou picked up two goals but could not continue his hat-trick consecutive game streak. 

The Fury, fresh off a 5-1 win over San Diego last night, cam out firing in the first quarter and built a 4-0 lead before Tacoma got on the board. Robert Palmer opened scoring with his second goal of the season with 12:16 remaining in the opening frame. Tacoma’s Alex Caceres was issued a blue card and the Stars had the penalty killed but just as time expired Franck Tayou sent home a rebound for his 10th of the season and a 2-0 lead. Justin Stinson, who finished with three points on the day for the Fury, took a pass from Jesus Pacheco to make it a 3-0 Ontario lead with 4:12 on the clock. Ontario’s fourth goal of the quarter was also Frank Tayou’s second of the game, assisted by Maicon De Abreu, who also had three points in the win, and with 2:41 left in the first, the Stars were in a deep hole.

Nick Perera opened scoring for the Stars with some fancy footwork on the left side and then beat Ontario keeper Claysson De Lima for his second goal of the season with just 20 seconds to go, and the first quarter ended with a 4-1 Ontario advantage.  

The second quarter, though plenty of cards were issued, was much calmer as scoring went. Ontario’s only goal of the quarter was assisted by Franck Tayou when he found Andy Reyes for his first goal of the season. At that point Tacoma was again down by four at 5-1 with 8:39 left in the first half. After the Stars received the first two penalties of the game, Ontario’s first blue card was shown to Juan Topete with 2:56 remaining in the second. 

Before that penalty could expire, another Fury player was sent to the penalty box on a blue card and that was Uzi Tayou, giving Tacoma a brief 5-on-3 power play. With one second to go in the original penalty, Mike Ramos sent a shot off De Lima’s arm and into the net for a power play goal, keeping the second penalty power play intact. The final minute of the first half passed and the teams went to the break with Ontario leading 5-2. 

Ramos scoring with the first penalty still being served was big because the Stars began the second half on the power play, and Perera made it count when he went upper 90 on the right side for his second goal of the game bringing the Stars within two at 5-3 just 55 seconds into the third quarter. Less than two minutes later Juan Carlos Gonzalez connected with Palmer for his second of the game and give Ontario a 6-3 advantage headed to the final 15 minutes of play. 

Ontario’s special teams was the key to the fourth quarter as they killed three straight Stars power plays, and during the third scored a goal of their own. With Pacheco in the penalty box, Nestor Hernandez set out on a breakaway and beat Stars keeper Danny Waltman for a short-handed goal, and 7-3 lead with under 10 minutes to play. 

Just after Pacheco’s penalty expired, Vini Dantas fed Ramos’ second goal of the game to keep the Stars within reach. De Abreu put a dagger in Tacoma’s hopes however, when he scored just 20 seconds after Ramos to give the Fury their four-goal cushion back.

It was De Abreu who notched Ontario’s final goal of the game with 1:04 to play and it was 9-4 Fury. Tacoma scored one more time with 16 seconds to go, it was Alessandro Canale’s first goal of the season and it reached the 9-5 final.

The Stars will take a day off before facing the San Diego Sockers on Sunday at the RP Funding Center to wrap up a three games in four days stretch. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 am PST and you can tune in live at - https://www.facebook.com/MASLsoccer/events

SCORING SUMMARY

1st – ONT Palmer 2:34; ONT F. Tayou (Stinson) 7:33; ONT Stinson (Pacheco) 10:48; ONT F. Tayou (De Abreu) 12:19; TAC Perera (Canale) 14:40. Penalties – TAC Caceres blue card (holding) 5:16.

2nd – ONT Reyes (F. Tayou) 6:21; TAC Ramos (Cox) PP 14:01. Penalties – TAC Dos Santos blue card (dangerous play) 1:47; ONT Topete blue card (boarding) 12:04; ONT U. Tayou blue card (boarding) 13:56; ONT Mansaray yellow card (major penal penalty) 13:56. 

3rd – TAC Perera (Caceres) PP 0:55; ONT Palmer (Gonzalez) 2:11. Penalties – ONT Hernandez blue card (reckless tackle) 11:27.

4th – ONT Hernandez (U. Tayou) PP 5:40; TAC Ramos (Dantas) 6:22; ONT De Abreu (Gonzalez) 6:47; ONT De Abreu (Stinson) 13:56; TAC Canale (Lima) 14:44. Penalties – ONT Reyes blue card (holding) 0:48; ONT Pacheco blue card (reckless tackle) 4:12; ONT Bench blue card (too many men); TAC Cox blue card (tripping) 10:34.

Shots – Tacoma 4-7-4-3 (18), Ontario 7-7-4-4 (22)

The Stars wrap up their three-game week in Florida with a battle against the San Diego Sockers at 12 pm EST on Sunday. You can see every minute live at https://www.facebook.com/MASLsoccer/events

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