Mustangs Hold Off Late Thunder Rally in 8–6 North Conference Win
- Jonathan Turner
- Dec 29, 2025
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CHICAGO, Illinois (NSN) — The Chicago Mustangs held off a late rally from the Rockford Thunder to earn an 8–6 victory in a North Conference matchup of Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS) on Saturday night.
Chicago built a four-goal cushion through three quarters and survived a strong fourth-quarter push from Rockford to secure the win.
Rockford struck first at the 2:20 mark of the opening quarter when Mauricio Campos finished a pass from Santiago Patinho. Chicago answered less than two minutes later as Alejandro Morales found the net, sending the teams into the first break tied 1–1.
The Mustangs took control in the second quarter, scoring three unanswered goals. Gabriel Uno converted a penalty shot at 12:12 to give Chicago the lead, followed by even-strength goals from Dario Gamboa and Morales to extend the advantage to 4–1 at halftime.
Rockford trimmed the deficit early in the third quarter when Diego Bolanos scored, but Chicago responded with goals from Alex Filian and Jose Matute, pushing the lead to 6–2 heading into the final period.
The Thunder mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Bolanos scored his second goal at 9:24, followed by goals from Patinho and Campos to cut the margin to 6–5 with just over six minutes remaining. Chicago answered on the power play as Jorge Ochoa scored at 4:44, restoring a two-goal lead. Gamboa added a shorthanded goal with 18 seconds left before Campos completed his hat trick with four seconds remaining to cap the scoring.
Campos led all players with three goals for Rockford, while Morales and Gamboa each recorded two goals for Chicago.
Rockford outshot Chicago 21–15, including a 7–3 edge in the fourth quarter. With the win, Chicago improved to 8–6 on the season, while Rockford fell to 6–8.
The match featured multiple penalties in the third and fourth quarters, with both teams receiving blue and yellow cards. Senior referee Ryan Eckart officiated the contest, which kicked off at 7:30 p.m. and concluded at 9:45 p.m.
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