MASL QUARTERFINALS: Top-seeded Chihuahua stymies St. Louis with 5-1 decision
- Dan Stickradt
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Late outburst helps Savage escape danger and remain alive in the quest for the Ron Newman Cup three-peat
BY ST. LOUIS AMBUSH COMMUNICATIONS
OCEANSIDE, Calif. – The Chihuahua Savage entered the MASL Ron Newman Cup known to boast the league’s top offense.
On Friday night, it was the Savage’s defense that took center stage.
Chihuahua and the St. Louis Ambush were deadlocked at 1-1 early in the fourth quarter before the Savage finally got untracked with four unanswered goals in the final period to post a 5-1 victory in the MASL quarterfinals at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif., near San Diego.
The final score didn’t reflect the tightly contested nature of the match, which remained deadlocked until the seventh minute of the fourth quarter. Three of Chihuahua’s five goals came against the Ambush’s sixth attacker.
In a rare anomaly for the Major Arena Soccer League, neither team found the back of the net in the first quarter. A scoreless first half is even more uncommon, but that’s exactly what unfolded, with the teams tied 0-0 at the break. There were also no penalties issued in the half — no blue, yellow, or red cards — as the match truly resembled a postseason game.
Chihuahua (21-4-0) broke the stalemate in the ninth minute of the third quarter when Jamie Alejandro Romero slipped a shot past Ambush goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento to make it 1-0.
St. Louis responded in the 13th minute when Duduca Carvalho delivered a backheel pass to James Thomas, who fired the ball into the top corner to level the score at 1-1 heading into the fourth.
That was the last ray of hope for the Ambush (11-13-1).
The Savage regained the lead in the seventh minute of the final quarter. A shot bounced off the glass and slipped past Nascimento, where Hugo Puentes was on the doorstep to tap it in to put Chihuahua ahead for good at 2-1.
With just under three minutes remaining, the Ambush pulled Nascimento for a sixth attacker, with Dylan Hundelt taking the field. But the Savage capitalized on the empty net, beginning with a goal from Bryan Macias that made it 3-1. Cesar Ruiz followed with a score with 34 ticks remaining, while Miguel Angel Diaz added another with 25 seconds remaining to seal the deal.
Chihuahua advances to the semifinals round, while St. Louis heads home. Despite a difficult start to the season, the Ambush rebounded with a winning second half and pushed the two-time defending MASL champions in a hard-fought playoffs matchup.
The win marked the sixth time this season that the Savage defense held an opponent to two goals or less and the second time Chihuahua limited the opposition to just one goal. The other time that occurred was back on Jan. 31 in a 4-1 win over the Tacoma Stars.
The Savage also limited the Dallas Stars (twice), Texas Outlaws (one) and the San Diego Sockers (once) to two goals in a game.
Chihuahua will advance to Sunday’s MASL semifinals with the opponent and official kickoff time to be determined at Frontwave Arena. The Savage improved to a +108 scoring differential this season, while outscoring the opposition 223-115 on the year (218-114 in the regular season).
The Savage were 12-0-0 at home and 8-4-0 on the road in the regular season. All postseason games will be played at Frontwave Arena, a neutral site for all teams except the MASL postseason hosts San Diego Sockers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349.
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Comments