For the Reporter
Midfielder Michael Ramos’ power-play goal in the final seconds of the match lifted the Tacoma Stars to an 8-7 victory over the San Diego Sockers on Saturday night at the ShoWare Center.
The Stars improved to 12-7, the Sockers dropped to 11-7.
Ramos and defender Steve Mohn each score twice in the victory while defenders Cory Keitz and Adam West, along with forwards Derek Johnson and Vince McCluskey, all contributed goals. Goalkeeper Danny Waltman notched nine saves on 16 shots, earning the win.
Goals from McCluskey and Ramos shot the Stars out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. The opening goal from McCluskey, just four minutes into the match, was his first of the season.
Sockers midfielder Erick Tovar responded early in the second quarter with a goal under a minute into the period, drawing San Diego within one. Seven minutes later, Johnson snagged a pass swung through the penalty box by West and snuck in his 13th goal of the season to extend the Stars lead to 3-1. San Diego forward Nick Perera and West exchanged goals a few minutes later, giving Tacoma a 4-2 lead going into halftime.
Tacoma opened the second half with two goals in the first eight minutes, each by Mohn, to extend their advantage out to 6-2. The Sockers responded with a pair of their own goals from Perera and Raymundo Reza, cutting the Stars lead to 6-4 heading into the final quarter.
The Stars held a 7-4 lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the match before San Diego rallied for a trio of goals to tie it up at 7-7. With 21 seconds to go in the game, Sockers midfielder Eddie Velez drew a blue card to give Tacoma a free kick just outside the box and a power play. The free kick attempt sailed wide right, but Ramos sealed the victory on his second goal of the night with only 1.9 seconds remaining.
Tacoma wraps up their regular season schedule with a match against the Ontario Fury next Friday, Feb. 26 at the ShoWare Center. First kick is scheduled for 7:35 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 team can be found by following the Stars on Twitter (@TacomaStarsSC) or liking the team on Facebook.
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