STARS DROP CLOSE ONE 5-4 TO SOCKERS AT FRONTWAVE ARENA FRIDAY NIGHT
OCEANSIDE, CA. – The Tacoma Stars (1-1-1) fresh off a game less than 24 hours ago in Ontario, traveled to Oceanside to face the San Diego Sockers (2-1-0) and were outscored 4-1 in the second half to drop the game by a 5-4 final. The win by the Sockers draws the season series even at one win apiece. The teams will meet again on Friday, January 10 at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, WA.
Tacoma struck first when Stars keeper Chris Toth found Nick Perera with an outlet pass up the left side. Perera side-stepped a San Diego defender and beat Sockers’ keeper Boris Pardo just inside the near post with a low shot with 6:22 left to go in the opening frame.
Leading 1-0 in the 2nd quarter, Perera picked up the next goal as well, this time on a volley just inside the box on a perfect pass from Stefan Mijatovic to put the Stars up 2-0 with 12:33 to go in the opening half.
San Diego’s offensive leader Luiz Morales used an assist from Charlie Gonzalez to cut the Stars lead to 2-1 with 4:14 left in the 2nd, but Tacoma had a quick answer.
Another far post goal on a low pass from Chase Hanson gave Jamael Cox his second goal of the season and put the Stars back up by two at 3-1. That was the score the teams would take to the break.
Felipe Gonzalez opened the scoring in the 3rd quarter when the Sockers intercepted an outlet pass by Toth. Luis Ortega connected with Gonzalez for the San Diego goal and that cut Tacoma’s lead to 3-2 just 21 seconds into the frame.
The equalizer for the Sockers was the second of the game for Morales and was another hustle play as San Diego wrangled a loose ball near midfield. They turned into a breakaway goal assisted by Keko Gontán. It was a 3-3 score the teams took to the final frame.
Gontán figured in the next goal as well when he drove just inside the top of the arc on an assist by Ortega to give the Sockers their first lead of the game at 4-3 with 10:26 left to go in regulation.
The Sockers added one more by Taylor Walter Bond before Tacoma answered with just 17 seconds to play on Stefan Mijatovic’s second goal of the season to finish the scoring with the Sockers edging out the Stars by a 5-4
Tacoma kicks off 2025 at home against the San Diego Sockers in their second trip to the accesso ShoWare Center early in the season on Friday, January 10, 2025, at 7:05 pm. Tickets are available at www.tacomastars.showare.com today! Using the code NEWYEAR at checkout will save you 24% on reserved, club, and premier seats through the end of the year as we say goodbye to 2024.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – TAC Perera 5 (Toth) 8:38. Penalties – None.
2nd – TAC Perera 6 (Mijatovic) 2:27; SD Morales 6 (C. Gonzalez) 10:46; TAC Ramos 1 (Hanson) 11:49. Penalties – TAC Mijatovic (bc- tripping) 4:54.
3rd – SD F. Gonzalez 2 (Ortega) 0:21; SD Morales (Gontán) 12:01. Penalties – None.
4th – SD Gontán 2 (Ortega) 4:34; SD Bond 1 (Mendez) 10:07; TAC Mijatovic 2 14:43 sixth attacker. Penalties – None.
Power Play – Stars 0/0, San Diego 0/1
Shots – Stars 19, San Diego 21
Fouls – Stars 16, San Diego 18
Penalty Minutes – Stars 2, San Diego 0
Attendance – 1,789
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