Syracuse Outlasts St. Louis for First Victory on Three-Game Road Trip
Published on January 22, 2018 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Syracuse Silver Knights News Release
ST. CHARLES, MO - The Syracuse Silver Knights (6-5) scored eight goals in the second half of their match against the St. Louis Ambush en route to a 9-5 victory. Six different Silver Knights found the back of the net to secure a victory over the Ambush.
"This is a very hetic weekend for us with all the traveling in between games," said Silver Knights head coach Ryan Hall. "It was crucial to start the weekend off on the right foot and hope to use the momentum heading into the next two games."
The first half was uneventful between the two teams. Syracuse provided more of the offensive pressure, outshooting the Ambush 11-8 in the first 30 minutes. Ambush goalkeeper Paul Nascimento was put to work early, as he was forced to make eight saves through the first two quarters. A Syracuse goal from Joey Tavernese and an Ambush goal from Stefan St. Louis provided the only scoring in the first half. Syracuse turned up the pressure in the second half, and it paid off in dividends for the visitors. After St. Louis struck first with a Hewerton Moreira goal, the Silver Knights rattled off five straight goals to close out the third period. Five different Syracuse players scored in the frame, as Slavisa Ubiparipovic, Tavernese, Liam Callahan, Ben Ramin, and Nate Bourdeau added their names to the scoresheet. The Silver Knights led 6-2 at the end of the second half.
"We just had to play our game and not give up silly goals," said Hall about his team's mentality heading into the second half.
St. Louis found some momentum in the fourth quarter with two goals in the span of 41 seconds. Clayton Matheus and Corey Adamson scored to cut the Silver Knights lead to 6-4. Then, both teams earned a power play but were not able to find a goal. Still, the Ambush sensed opportunity as it controlled the offensive pressure for most of the fourth quarter. St. Louis outshot Syracuse 13-5 in the final frame.
"Indoor is a game of swings and momentum," said Hall. "After they scored two in a row we called a time out and just told the guys to settle down and get back to what got us the lead which was possession and good team defense."
Towards the end of the match, desperation became to creep into the minds of the Ambush coaching staff, as they brought on a sixth attacker with four minutes and 38 seconds left in the game. Even though St. Louis did get a goal from the sixth attacker from Adamson, the Syracuse defense held strong. The Silver Knights were able to dispossess and score three more goals while the Ambush had the sixth attacker on the field. Tavernese, Kenardo Forbes, and Ubiparipovic were the beneficiaries of St. Louis' greed, and the Silver Knights ended the game as winners by a score of 9-5.
Friday's four-goal win marks the largest margin of victory for the Silver Knights this season. Syracuse also tied the most amount of goals they have scored in regulation this season with nine. Tavernese lead the way with his second hat trick of the season and his sixth multi-goal game of the campaign. The forward also tallied an assist to bring him to 30 points on the season. Last year, Taverense only had 34 points the entire campaign.
Ubiparipovic added two goals on the evening. He now joins Tavernese and Forbes as Silver Knights players who have scored at least 10 goals and recorded at least 20 points this season. Bo Jelovac had two assists in the win. He now joins Tavernese, Forbes, Ubiparipovic, and Bourdeau as players with double digit points this season.
The defense of the Silver Knights performed well in the victory. Andrew Coughlin recorded 11 saves on the day, which marks his seventh game this season with double digit saves. Jake Schindler and Darren Toby were impressive also in front of Coughlin. Toby had six blocks and Schindler had three blocks. Toby now has 21 blocks on the season, which ranks him third in the MASL.
"Our objective was to keep them under four goals," said Hall. "We held them to five which is a testament to our team defense."
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from January 22, 2018
- San Diego Sockers Match Report - Sockers End Losing Streak with 8-6 - San Diego Sockers
- BARRACUDAS MUNCH ON EXPRESS - Brownsville Barracudas
- Andrew Coughlin's Career Day Leads Syracuse to Victory over St. Louis - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Ambush Lose Second of the Weekend to Syracuse - St. Louis Ambush
- Mke Wave Tank Syracuse Silver Knights; Playoff Position Clinched. - Milwaukee Wave
- Syracuse Shutout by Milwaukee - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Syracuse Outlasts St. Louis for First Victory on Three-Game Road Trip - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Silver Knights Spear Ambush 9-5 - St. Louis Ambush
- Blast Defeat Kansas City 15-8 - Baltimore Blast
- Barracudas Add Three to the Roster - Brownsville Barracudas
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