St. Louis Ambush Get Weekend Split with OT Loss to San Diego Sunday
Published on March 22, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
St. Louis Ambush News Release
Oceanside, California - The St. Louis Ambush come home from a two-game west coast road trip with a split after losing 5-4 to the San Diego Sockers Sunday at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California. St. Louis won less than 24 hours earlier against the Tacoma Stars in Tacoma. The victory improved the Sockers to 14-6-2 (wins-losses-overtime losses) on the season, while St. Louis dropped to 13-6-3. Both teams had already qualified for the MASL playoffs and are now battling for seed in the final standings.
The Ambush drew first blood in the third minute of the game when goalkeeper Eduardo "Pollo" Cortes sent a long pass to Ozzy Santana, who advanced just past the yellow line and sent a long shot into the goal. San Diego responded just over a minute later when Nick Perera got a shot by Cortes to knot the score. The Sockers went on a power play in the tenth minute when Robert Williamson earned a blue card for contact above the shoulder. St. Louis successfully killed the penalty without giving up a goal. The Ambush got a power play of their own in the thirteenth minute when the Sockers were penalized for too many men on the field. The Ambush came up empty and play continued until the end of the first quarter with the score knotted at one.
St. Louis went up 2-1 in the ninth minute of the second period when Mario Falsone took a shot that deflected off Perera and into the net. The Ambush got another on a restart when Ozzy Santana took a shot that came off the board and was tapped in by Christian Briggs, who was perfectly positioned to put the ball away. St. Louis shut San Diego out in the second frame and enjoyed a 3-1 lead at halftime.
In the second minute of the third quarter, St. Louis was awarded a power play when San Diego's Cesar Cerda was sent to the sin bin for plowing into Ambush midfielder Ryan Khedoo. As with the previous power plays in the match, no one found the back of the net during the man advantage. In the seventh minute, a chaotic scene unfolded in front of the goal with Falsone and a cluster of Sockers players at the goal line. Ahmadi sent a pass to Falsone, who tapped it in before his adversaries could spoil the play, giving St. Louis a 4-1 lead. The Sockers pulled one back in the twelfth minute when Cerda sent a wall pass to Tavoy Morgan, who put the ball on target. At the end of the third quarter, St. Louis held a 4-2 lead.
In the fifth minute of the fourth period, Drew Ruggles scored for the Sockers, off a pass from Perera, to make it a one-goal match (4-3). San Diego drew even in tenth minute when Perera sent a pass across the penalty area to Ruggles, who beat Cortes for his second goal of the night. The Ambush suffered another setback when Cortes was removed from the game for five minutes with a yellow card for dissent, forcing Paulo Nascimento, who played the entire previous game less than 24 hours earlier, to come in cold off the bench. Neither team scored before regulation time elapsed, sending the duel into sudden-death overtime.
Nascimento stayed in goal for St. Louis at the start of overtime. In the fifth minute of the extra period, Ruggles assisted and Morgan scored to secure the overtime winner for the Sockers.
A fantastic display of stellar goalkeeping played out on both sides of the field. Cortes made one breathtaking save after another, while his counterpart at the other end of the field, San Diego's Chris Toth, did the same. Nascimento, despite coming in off the bench, performed equally as well and showed why he is a candidate for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Next for the Ambush is the final home game of the regular season when they host Utica City FC at the Family Arena Friday, March 27, 2026 at 7:05 p.m. CDT. The postseason kicks off in April, with at least one home playoff game at The Family Arena. Playoff dates will be announced when the matchups are known and arena dates for both teams are confirmed.
Ambush group and single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2025-26 season are on sale. Call the Ambush office at 636-477-6363 for more information. Fans can stay current on all Ambush news by visiting the team's official website, stlambush.com and on social media outlets.
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MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE MATCH REPORT
Match: St. Louis Ambush at San Diego Sockers
Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026
Venue: Frontwave Arena, Oceanside, California
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. CDT / 4:00 p,m. PDT
Attendance: 3,593
SCORING BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 OT SO F
St. Louis Ambush1 1 2 1 0 0 -- 4
San Diego Sockers 1 0 1 2 1 -- 5
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 22, 2026
- St. Louis Ambush Get Weekend Split with OT Loss to San Diego Sunday - St. Louis Ambush
- Strykers Clinch Playoff Berth with 5-3 Win at Utica - Empire Strykers
- Utica City FC Drops Final Home Game of the Year - Utica City FC
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