The first-place Tacoma Stars head south for a pair of matches against Soles De Sonora and Atletico Baja on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.<\/p>\n
Tacoma (9-3) has a half-game lead over the San Diego Sockers in the Major Arena Soccer League Pacific Division, largely due to their active five-game winning streak collected at home over the past two months of play.<\/p>\n
Sonora (10-2) and Baja (6-7) feature two of the league’s most potent offenses, averaging 11.9 and 7.2 goals per match, respectively. Sonora forward Franck Tayou leads the league with 47 total points and 38 goals and is closely followed in each category by Baja forward Christian Gutierrez, who has amassed 44 points and 36 goals. The clubs have combined to post a record of 10-2 at home this season.<\/p>\n
Defensively, Baja has allowed a total of 119 goals this season, tied for the second most in the league, an average of over nine goals per match.<\/p>\n
Forward Dan Antoniuk continues to lead the Stars on offense, having accumulated 20 points on a balanced effort of 10 goals and 10 assists. Midfielder Micheal Ramos checks in with 17 total points, while forward Derek Johnson paces the team with 12 goals.<\/p>\n
Tacoma goalkeeper Danny Waltman has continued his climb up the MASL keeper leaderboards this year, ranking second with nine wins, fifth in goals against average (5.03), and tied for fifth in save percentage (.708). Over 739 minutes in goal, Waltman has collected a total of 150 saves on 212 shots.<\/p>\n
With eight games remaining in their regular season schedule, the Stars find themselves perched atop the MASL Pacific Division, with the top two teams earning a berth into the postseason.<\/p>\n
Live stats for the match can be found at maslsoccer.com<\/a>, while a live online stream will be available through MASLtv. First kick in Sonora on Saturday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., while Sunday’s match in Baja is set for 5:05 p.m.<\/p>\n