The Tacoma Stars (2-1) open their first extended road trip of the season this weekend with Major Arena Soccer League matches against the Dallas Sidekicks (2-3) on Friday and the St. Louis Ambush (0-1) on Saturday.
Tacoma and Dallas, longtime rivals reaching back to their days in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1980s, faced off three times last season. The Stars came away victorious in two of the three relatively low-scoring contests, including a 3-2 win on the road at the Allen Event Center.
The Stars swept a two-match home and road set with the Ambush during the 2015-16 season while out-scoring St. Louis by a combined mark of 18-10. Tacoma forward Dan Antoniuk and midfielder Jamael Cox both scored three goals in those games, while midfielder Micheal Ramos logged three points on two goals and one assist in the Stars 12-5 early February drubbing of the Ambush.
Through three games, the Stars goal differential of plus-5 is the fourth best mark in the MASL. Goalkeeper Danny Waltman has allowed an average of only 5.36 goals per match, and is tied for first in the circuit with two wins.
Across the field, the Dallas offense has averaged 8.0 goals per game, while scoring on 44 percent of their power play opportunities. Forward Cameron Brown currently leads the league with 13 points and nine goals, while midfielder Jamie Lovegrove also checks in among the MASL leaders in both categories. In net for the Sidekicks, Juan Gamboa sports a .716 save percentage on 81 shots, the fourth best mark in the league.
St. Louis has played just one match this season, an 8-3 loss on the road to the Kansas City Comets. Defender Richard Schmermund scored twice in the Ambush’s season opener, while forward Stefan St. Louis also logged a score to round out the offense.
Live stats for both matches can be found at www.maslsoccer.com, while live online streams will be available through MASLtv. First kick on Friday is scheduled for 5:35 p.m., while Saturday’s match gets underway at 5:05 p.m.
Season ticket packages, group outings, family packs, and suite offerings for the Tacoma Stars 2016-17 season are available now. To purchase, call 1-844-STARS-TIME or visit the Stars online at tacomastars.com.
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