Stars Fall To Sonora, 6-4

by Brett Gleason

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Tacoma Stars (4-1) dropped their first game of the season to Soles De Sonora (3-1), 6-4 on Friday night at the ShoWare Center.

The Stars were led by midfielder Jamael Cox, who posted a brace with a pair of goals in the third quarter. Tacoma goalkeeper Danny Waltman recorded 10 saves on 16 shots.

Sonora midfielder Cristhian Segura’s unassisted goal opened the scoring and broke a 0-0 tie with under a minute left in the first quarter to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Tacoma answered just two minutes into the second quarter with a goal from Ty Hall, his first goal of the season, tying the game at 1-1. Stars midfielder Joey Gjertsen put Tacoma ahead 2-1 with a power play goal near the end of the first half. The lead did not stand for long, as Sonora would answer with an unassisted goal from Enrique Cañez 19 seconds later to send the game to halftime tied at 2-2.

The third quarter featured three lead changes, two ties, and five total goals. Cox began the frame with his first goal of the night, an unassisted score that gave the Stars a 3-2 lead. Sonora midfielder Alberto Campoy evened the score at 3-3 just 10 seconds later with an unassisted goal of his own. Two more goals from Sonora and a second goal from Cox would send the game to the fourth quarter with Sonora holding a 5-4 edge over the Stars.

With just under a minute left in the match, Sonora midfielder Gustavo Rosales put the game out of reach with an unassisted goal to extend Sonora’s lead to 6-4, a lead they would hold for the win.

The Stars return to action with a matchup against the Dallas Sidekicks on Friday, Dec. 4 at 7:35 p.m. at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington.

Single game tickets, season ticket packages, group outings, and suite offerings for the Tacoma Stars 2015-16 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.