For the Reporter
The Tacoma Stars (7-4) jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 5-4 victory over the Las Vegas Legends (7-3) on Saturday night at Las Vegas Sportspark.
Stars midfielder Joey Gjertsen led the club with a brace, while Mark Lee, Michael Ramos, and Chase Hanson all contributed solo scores. Goalkeeper Danny Waltman notched 17 saves on 21 shots while holding the Legends scoreless in the first and third quarters.
Tacoma raced out to a 3-0 lead over the Legends with a trio of goals from Lee, Ramos and Gjertsen – all three goals were unassisted. Ramos’ goal was his second of the weekend, after scoring just once in the Stars first nine matches.
Las Vegas cut into the Stars lead with goals from forwards Roberto Garcia and Nestor Hernandez, giving Tacoma a 3-2 advantage heading into halftime.
Gjertsen completed his brace with an unassisted goal just over seven minutes into the second half – the goal was the only score of the third quarter, and gave the Stars a 4-2 lead.
Hanson notched his first goal of the season 34 seconds into the fourth quarter to extend Tacoma’s lead to 5-2. A pair of Las Vegas goals, the second of which came with an extra attacker, pulled the Legends within one, but the Stars would ultimately hold on to claim a 5-4 victory.
Tacoma returns home to the ShoWare Center to play the San Diego Sockers on Sunday, Jan. 3. First kick is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.
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. Updates and notes about the Stars can be found by following the team on Twitter (@TacomaStarsSC) or liking the team on Facebook.
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