St. Louis Ambush Overcome Kansas City in a Shootout

Published on January 4, 2026 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
St. Louis Ambush News Release

Independence, Missouri - The St. Louis Ambush went on the road, battled toe-to-toe with the first-place Kansas City Comets, and came home with a 7-6 victory on a shootout Sunday at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence. The win improved the Ambush to 4-3-1 on the season, while the Comets dropped to 6-2-2.

St. Louis struck first when Robert Williamson, playing in his 100th MASL game, scored off a pass from Robert Kristo in the third minute of the first quarter. Just over a minute later, John Gates send a pass from near the wall to Mario Falsone, who scored from inside the arc. Kansas City answered one minute and one second later on a goal from Zach Reget to make the score 2-1. The Ambush got one back in the seventh minute on a restart when Lucas Almeida sent the ball to Daniel Torrealba, who nailed a top shelf shot. The Ambush found themselves without two players in the thirteenth minute when Axel Chakounte earned a blue card for kicking, then starting goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento was sent off on a five-minute yellow card for dissent. Chakounte's card resulted in a power play, while Nascimento's yellow resulted in backup keeper Jose Ogaz coming in cold off the bench to guard the goal. Although St. Louis killed off the power play, Kansas City's Ignacio Flores was able to beat Ogaz with a shot to make the score 3-2 as the first frame expired.

The Comets drew even in the sixth minute of the second quarter when Jacob Garza scored against Nascimento with a long shot from between the arc and yellow line. Neither team found the back of the net for the remainder of the first half, which remained knotted 3-3 as the clock ran out.

Rian Marques gave Kansas City the lead (4-3) for the first time in the match in the fifth minute of the third period when Nascimento came out to make a save but Marques was able to tap the ball in before Paulo could get back in position. Marques' tally would be the lone goal of the period, sending the contest into the final stanza with the Ambush needing to overcome a one-goal deficit.

In the third minute of the fourth quarter, Christian Briggs drilled the equalizer for St. Louis on a restart when he took a pass from Lucas Almeida and drilled a shot to the far post and into the goal. Kansas City regained the lead (5-4) in the fifth minute on an unassisted tally from Michael Lenis. Less than a minute later, the Ambush tied things up again (5-5) when John Gates advanced toward the goal and Comets goalkeeper Phillip Ejimadu went low to attempt the save but Gates shot high and on target. Less than another minute ticked by when Kansas City again retook the lead (6-5) on an unassisted goal from Lesia Thetsane. With two minutes left in regulation, the Ambush pulled Nascimento and sent Randy Martinez in as the sixth attacker. The move proved to be successful as Kristo scored with 37 seconds left in regulation, making it a 6-6 duel. For the second game in a row, the Ambush and Comets went into overtime.

The fast and furious pace of the fourth quarter changed noticeably at the start of overtime, with both teams strategically trying to set up what they hoped would be the dagger to end the game. The daggers remained sheathed thanks to some stellar goalkeeping by Nascimento and Ejimadu, coupled with staunch defense from both teams. With no goals in overtime, the game then moved into a decisive shootout.

Dominic Francis, Zach Reget and Rian Marques all failed to score for the Comets. Daniel Torrealba and William Eskay both missed for St. Louis. The third man up for the Ambush was Kristo, who put a rocket on target for the dramatic game-winner.

The Ambush will return to action in one week when they visit the Tacoma Stars on Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 7:05 p.m CST at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The next Ambush home game is slated for Friday January 16, 2026 at 7:05 p.m. when they host the Empire Strykers at The Family Arena.

Ambush season, group and single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are now 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.

St. Louis Ambush go high for a ball against the Kansas City Comets (Kansas City Comets)	St. Louis Ambush with a header against the Kansas City Comets (Kansas City Comets)	St. Louis Ambush defender Robert Williamson against the Kansas City Comets (Kansas City Comets)
St. Louis Ambush midfielder Riley Urie gets hit in the back against the Kansas City Comets (Kansas City Comets)	St. Louis Ambush defender Christian Briggs against the Kansas City Comets (Kansas City Comets)

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