STARS HOLD OFF COMETS FOR 6-5 WIN
INDEPENDENCE, MO. – The Stars (3-4) visited Cable Dahmer Arena for the second time this season, and for the second time left with a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Comets (5-5). With the win, Tacoma snapped a four-game Kansas City win streak while ending a two-game skid of their own. Tacoma is the only team to have beaten the Comets on their home turf this season.
A game that would end with a fast-paced finish, started with a much slower pace as only one goal was scored in the opening quarter. Adriano Dos Santos sent a pass off the wall to Vini Dantas who sent home the first of his three goals on the night giving the Stars a 1-0 lead.
Eddie Na’s first goal of the season assisted by Nick Perera doubled that lead with 8:32 to go in the first half. The lone card of the game was shown to Stars’ keeper Chris Toth for a two-footed tackle giving Kansas City the only power play of the night. It lasted exactly two seconds when John Sosa slid a quick pass to Leo Gibson who buried a one-timer cutting the Stars lead in half.
Tacoma rookie Willie Spurr beat Comets’ keeper Nicolau Neto five-hole from the right side for his first career MASL goal with 4:53 on the clock in the second. Dantas opened scoring in the half and knocked in the final goal of the first 30 minutes when the Stars went 3-on-2 on the right side, and he converted an Adrian Gutierrez assist into a 4-1 lead at halftime.
Mike Ramos found Dantas for his third goal of the game giving Tacoma their largest lead of the game at 5-1 with 9:45 remaining in the third. Kansas City’s offense awoke at that point and they rallied for the next three goals putting pressure on the Stars defense.
The first two came from Ray Lee on assists from Sosa and Gibson to send matters to the final frame with Tacoma leading Kansas City by a 5-3 margin.
Lucas Sousa connected with Mike Da Silva with 7:48 left in the game to bring Kansas City within one at 5-4. With just over four minutes to go, Gibson donned the sixth attacker jersey for the Comets as they looked to level the game.
Stars’ midfielder Adrian Correa went 1-on-1 with Gibson at midfield and got past him to see a wide-open Comets goal and he gave Tacoma a two-goal cushion once again, this time with only 1:28 to go.
It took the Comets just 12 seconds to answer that goal when Sosa fired a rocket from outside the yellow line putting the pressure back on the Stars at 6-5 with 1:16 left. Tacoma withstood a few Kansas City chances in the final seconds and held on for the win.
The Stars head east on I-70 to face the St. Louis Ambush tomorrow at 1:05 pm PST for their second of five games in a nine-day span to close out their regular season schedule.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – TAC Dantas (Dos Santos) 12:03. Penalties – none.
2nd – TAC Na (Perera) 6:28; KC Gibson (Sosa) PP 7:43; TAC Spurr (Caceres) 11:07; TAC Dantas (Gutierrez) 14:06. Penalties – TAC Toth blue card (two-footed tackle) 7:41.
3rd – TAC Dantas (Ramos) 5:15; KC Lee (Sosa) 9:15; KC Lee (Gibson) 12:55. Penalties – none.
4th – KC DaSilva (Sousa) 7:12; TAC Correa 13:32; KC Sosa (Palmer) 13:44. Penalties – none.
Shots – Tacoma 6-6-4-6 (22), Kansas City 2-5-10-9 (26)
The Stars continue their swing through Missouri tomorrow with a meeting with St. Louis at 1:05 pm PST. Watch live at https://www.facebook.com/MASLsoccer/events
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