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Dallas Sidekicks

Dallas Sidekicks Come up Short in Overtime Thriller, Chicago Edges out 8-7 Win

January 6, 2013 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
Dallas Sidekicks News Release


Hoffman Estates, IL- The Dallas Sidekicks' fourth period comeback fell a bit short in an 8-7 overtime loss against the Chicago Mustangs on Sunday night at the Grand Sports Arena. The Sidekicks are now 8-1 this season, still sitting atop the Central Division.

Chicago was the first to put themselves on the board in the first quarter, Nestor Hernandez shooting off his right foot and sneaking one past Sidekicks goaltender Sagu at 2:19. Franck Mbemba had a few close chances during an early Sidekicks powerplay, but it was defender Cody Ellis who tied up the match on a pass from Kiley Couch at 5:09. Chicago's Hernandez was quick to strike back with his second of the night at 5:59 to give his team a 2-1 lead. The first quarter was a rough-and-tumble 15 minutes of play with 16 penalties doled out resulting in four powerplays. The Sidekicks ended the quarter by killing off a 5-on-4 Mustang powerplay.

The second period seemed to be constant powerplays, but neither team managed to capitalize. Both Sagu and Chicago goaltender Jesus Flores came up with a few impressive acrobatic saves, but the score remained 2-1 Chicago going into halftime, both teams 0-3 in powerplay opportunities.

Rough play continued through the third quarter, as did a fairly even amount of possession on both sides. The Sidekicks found themselves with their fifth powerplay opportunity of the night at 5:32. A bit of back-and-forth between Mbemba and Ricardinho kept the Chicago defense busy, eventually creating space for Mbemba to get a shot through Flores and tie up the match at 5:48. After killing off another powerplay, the Sidekicks took advantage of a 5-on-4 opportunity. Nick Stavrou showed his skill by passing through the arc, allowing Jamie Lovegrove to tip it in at 11:41 and give the Sidekicks their first lead of the night.

The fourth quarter was a whirlwind of nine goals, Chicago beginning with a quick trio. Alexis Camarena began by tying the game on a powerplay. 22 seconds later Bryan Velazquez gave Chicago the lead on a deflection from a restart, and soon after at 6:50, Luis Ortega extended the lead to 5-3. Sidekicks forward Paolo Da Silva put an unassisted goal past Flores at 7:09, and Ricardinho found success on a restart, deflecting the ball off of a Chicago player and tying the game 5-5 at 9:34. Omar Tapia gave Chicago back the lead at 10:27, cashing in on a Sagu rebound. The Sidekicks then pulled Sagu in favor of a sixth attacker in Stavrou. Tapia quickly took advantage and struck again at 12:13, putting Chicago up 7-5. The Sidekicks then showed their resilience, Stavrou putting his team back in the game at 13:11. Just 31 seconds later, Mbemba tied the game 7-7. A dramatic save from Sagu at the buzzer sent the thriller of a game into overtime- a first for the Sidekicks this season.

The night's quick play and constant succession of fouls continued into overtime, but Chicago managed to slip the ball past Sagu and walk away with the 8-7 win at 4:57.

The Sidekicks will take on Chicago once again when they return home this Saturday, January 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Allen Event Center.

Individual and season tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.dallassidekicks.net or call 214-550-6130. Follow the team on Twitter @GoSidekicks or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoSidekicks.

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Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from January 6, 2013


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