MASL: Stinson Makes History as Empire Strykers Edge Ambush in Overtime

Staff Writer
5 hours ago
3 min read

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Justin Stinson solidified his place in the record books on Saturday night, scoring a historic golden goal to lift the Empire Strykers to a 5-4 overtime victory against the St. Louis Ambush. The win marked the Strykers' third 5-4 overtime result of the 2025-26 campaign and provided a critical boost to their Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) playoff aspirations.

Stinson’s decisive strike came six minutes into the extra period. Receiving a pass from Ali Somow on the left, the St. Louis native and former Ambush star cut inside to fire a screened shot into the far corner. The goal was Stinson’s 186th career regular-season point for the franchise, officially surpassing the legendary Franck Tayou to become the club’s all-time leading scorer.

"Justin has been a cornerstone of this organization since its inception as the Ontario Fury," Strykers officials said. "To see him break this record in his hometown, with a game-winning goal that keeps our playoff hopes alive, is a storybook moment for this league."

The match began with an offensive flourish from Empire's backline. In the fourth minute, goalkeeper Brandon Gomez pushed into the attack and unleashed a long-range blast from beyond the yellow line to open the scoring. Less than a minute later, Leopoldo “Polo” Hernandez doubled the lead, tapping in a cross from Ant Powell to give the visitors a 2-0 cushion at the end of the first quarter.

St. Louis responded in the second frame after Empire goalkeeper Brian Orozco was penalized for a handball outside the arc. Jeff Michaud clinically converted the resulting shootout to pull the Ambush within one. The hosts eventually leveled the score early in the third quarter when a deflected shot from Mehrshad Ahmadi found the net, and they briefly took a 3-2 lead after James Togbah capitalized on an empty-net opportunity with Gomez caught up-field.

Hernandez restored parity for Empire just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter, recording his second goal of the night after Gomez’s initial shot rattled off the boards. Ali Somow then rifled a shot inside the right post to reclaim a 4-3 lead for the Strykers, setting the stage for a frantic finale.

With just over two minutes remaining in regulation, the Ambush found a late equalizer as John Gates poked home a rebound after Orozco struggled to handle a hard near-post shot. The goal forced the sudden-death overtime period, where both sides traded high-quality chances before Stinson’s historic intervention ended the contest.

The victory improves Empire to 9-10-1 on the season, moving them closer to the logjam of teams vying for the final postseason berths in the Eastern Conference. For St. Louis, the loss is their third consecutive defeat, dropping their record to 11-5-4 as they struggle to regain the form that saw them win five straight in February.

The Empire Strykers will look to build on this momentum as the MASL regular season enters its final three weeks. The two teams are scheduled for a high-stakes rematch on March 29 in Southern California, a game that could have significant implications for the final playoff seeding.