MASL WEEK 7 RECAP

With the new year now in full swing, the MASL got back to the old grind, churning out a weekend filled with upsets, comebacks and down-to-the-wire matches.

Friday, January 11

Mississauga MetroStars (2-5) vs Utica City FC (5-2)

Week 7 was kicked off by the MetroStars falling 5-4 to Utica City FC. The back and forth match seemed to shift in Mississauga’s favor in the final minute when Halburto Harris pulled them ahead 4-3, but two quick goals from Slavisa Ubiparipovic and Joey Tavernese took the win for Utica.

Milwaukee Wave (6-0) vs Kansas City Comets (3-4)

Kansas City took down the undefeated Wave in a 7-6 road win on Friday night. Milwaukee jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Comets stormed back for the victory, lead by 2 goals and 1 assist from both Leo Gibson and Ramone Palmer.

El Paso Coyotes (1-4) vs Turlock Express (0-7)

El Paso completed a thrilling comeback to snatch a 10-9 victory from Turlock in overtime. The Express lead 7-3 at the top of the fourth quarter, but Omar Tapia (5 goals, 2 assists) and the Coyotes notched 6 goals to send the match to OT. Tapia found Jose Moreno at 2:32 in OT for the golden goal.

San Diego Sockers (6-1) vs Ontario Fury (6-3)

The Sockers failed to score in the first half, but came from behind in the second for a 6-5 home win over the Ontario Fury. San Diego’s Kraig Chiles earned a hat trick on the night, his third goal coming late in the fourth to give the Sockers the lead.

Tacoma Stars (4-3) vs Monterrey Flash (3-1)

In another nail biter, the Flash took a 9-8 win over Tacoma on the road. The teams traded goals throughout the high-scoring match, changing leads 7 times. Franck Tayou notched 5 goals on the night, the last coming with 6 seconds left in regulation to pull Monterrey ahead.

San Diego Sockers (6-1) vs Ontario Fury (6-3)

The Sockers failed to score in the first half, but came from behind in the second for a 6-5 home win over the Ontario Fury. San Diego’s Kraig Chiles earned a hat trick on the night, his third goal coming late in the fourth to give the Sockers the lead.

Saturday, January 12

Milwaukee Wave (6-1) vs St. Louis Ambush (4-4)

Saturday began with a 7-1 victory for the Wave in St. Louis. Each team’s first goal came in the third quarter, before Milwaukee ended pulled away with 6 unanswered goals. Luan Oliveira and Daniel Chamale each tallied 2 goals in the road win.

Baltimore Blast (4-2) vs Harrisburg Heat (1-4)

Saturday evening, Baltimore defeated the Heat in a 9-5 home win. The Heat lead early and kept things close until the third quarter, when Baltimore began a 5-0 run to finish out the match. The Blast were lead by 2 goals and 2 assists from Vinicius Dantas.

Florida Tropics (3-5) vs Orlando SeaWolves (1-3)

In the second meeting between Florida and Orlando, the SeaWolves scored an 11-6 victory on the road. Orlando had the lead from 39 seconds into the match, and put on an impressive offensive performance driven by Gordy Gurdson’s 4 goals and 2 assists.

Tacoma Stars (4-4) vs Ontario Fury (6-4)

To close out Saturday night, the Tacoma Stars defeated the Ontario Fury with a final score of 8-5. Ontario took the lead early, but by the second quarter Tacoma would hold the lead for the rest of the match. Nick Perera took part in 6 of Tacoma’s 8 goals, racking up 1 goal and 5 assists of his own.

Sunday, January 13

Utica City FC (6-2) vs Harrisburg Heat (1-5)

Utica defeated Harrisburg 6-4 at home on Sunday. City FC’s first lead came just under 5 minutes into the match, and would continue throughout regulation. Slavisa Ubiparipovic netted 2 goals for Utica, while Liam Callahan and Mohamed Kenawy each tallied 1 goal and 1 assist.

Dallas Sidekicks (4-4) vs Monterrey Flash (4-1)

The Flash earned a 5-1 victory over Dallas in Allen Event Center, shutting the Sidekicks out for all but the third quarter. Monterrey’s defense was backed by keeper Diego Reynoso’s .929 save percentage, while Franck Tayou scored 4 goals to add to his weekend total of 9.

Rio Grande Valley Barracudas (2-3) vs Turlock Express (0-8)

Rio Grande Valley took down the Turlock Express in an 8-3 home victory at State Farm Arena. RGV took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, and answered 3 goals from Turlock before pulling ahead with 3 more goals in the fourth.

San Diego Sockers (7-1) vs El Paso Coyotes (2-4)

Sunday’s final match resulted in a San Diego home win over El Paso with a 7-4 final score. The Sockers overcame a 2-0 deficit late in the first half, and later completed the comeback, pulling away with 2 goals late in the fourth. Kraig Chiles and Brian Farber each had 2 goals and 1 assist on the night.