Strykers' Stinson Stuns St. Louis in 8-6 Win
Ontario, Calif. — The Empire Strykers on Monday bounced back from back-to-back away defeats with a crucial 8-6 home victory over the St. Louis Ambush, improving to 4-5-0 (wins-losses-overtime/shootout losses) on their Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) campaign. The Strykers' Justin Stinson enjoyed a standout attacking display, putting up three goals and two assists. While Ambush forward James Thomas had an impressive performance of his own at four attacking points, it was not enough for the Missourians, who also had a three-point display by Empire's Abdul Mansaray to contend with.
The match at Toyota Arena in Ontario saw a stingy first half, followed by a wildly entertaining second thirty minutes that boasted a total of 11 netters.
Having used goalkeeper Brian Orozco as a sixth attacker and dominated possession for nearly two thirds of the opening period, the Strykers finally made it 1-0 on a fluke goal by Mansaray. The dual citizen of England and the U.S. appeared to want to center the ball off the glass to the left of the frame, but it took on a spin that caught netminder Paulo Nascimento off guard and allowed it to sneak inside the near post. The home side doubled its lead in the second quarter, Stinson firing home on an Andy Reyes restart from the top of the arc, but St. Louis got back to within one when Raphael Araujo converted from Thomas.
Empire extended its advantage to 3-1 following intermission, as Mansaray this time succeeded in playing provider via the glass by the left upright. The forward's clever ball found Jorge DeLeon on the right side of the box, and the 32-year-old guided his finish into the far-side netting while falling sideways.
Although Strykers 'keeper Brandon Gomez subsequently produced a spectacular left-footed kick save to deny indoor legend Franck Tayou on a shootout opportunity, the Ambush did cut its deficit to 2-3 not long thereafter, Duduca Carvalho scoring on an assist by William Eskay. However, the hosts would return the favor before the end of the third period, reestablishing their two-goal cushion when captain Robert Palmer found the net with the visitors serving a two-minute penalty of their own. Palmer served as a sixth attacker on the play, effectively creating a two-man edge as Empire sacrificed its netminder.
The Strykers made it 5-2 inside the final quarter, MASL rookie Cyro Oliveira bagging his maiden pro indoor goal by cleaning up after a Stinson shot that had narrowly missed wide left. After Mohamed Ndiaye grabbed the Ambush's third on a restart by Thomas, Empire added another pair of tallies to go up 7-3. First, Stinson smartly used an opposition defender as a screen as his right-footed curler from the left found its way inside the far post, with Alami earning the assist. Then, Stinson completed his hat trick by confidently converting on a shootout.
To the visitors' credit, they refused to give up and were rewarded when Thomas tallied from Julio Varela to take full advantage of his team's decision to play six attackers. St. Louis pulled another one back when Franck Tayou pounced on a defensive miscue to cut the Ambush's deficit to 5-7. After the Strykers scored their eighth, Stinson chipping in the assist as Mansaray completed his brace, opposing defender Dylan Hundelt bagged a consolation goal for his squad inside the final minute. The veteran smashed home a powerful half-volley to round out the final score at 8-6.
The Empire Strykers next hit the road for a rematch with the Ambush on Sunday, January 18, followed by a clash with visiting rivals San Diego Sockers on Tuesday, January 20. Season tickets and single-game tickets are available at www.TheEmpireStrykers.com.