WAVE DEFEAT STARS ON THE ROAD; LEITE'S SIDE PROTECT FIRST PLACE POSITION.

By Henry Amini.

Kent, WA - The 7-Time Champion Milwaukee Wave beat the Tacoma Stars to maintain control of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) table.

FINAL SCORE: Milwaukee Wave 7, Tacoma Stars 6.
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | REPLAY

The Milwaukee Wave began their western road trip on Sunday at accesso ShoWare Arena in Kent, Washington. 

The first quarter was quiet but impactful for the Milwaukee Wave. Mario Alvarez opened the scoresheet with the only goal of the period. Alvarez timed his run to follow Alex Steinwasher’s missed shot. His momentum has provided a serious boost to the Wave’s scheme on both sides of the ball this season. 16 goals and 14 assists fill the veteran’s catalog to round out the skill set of one of the MASL’s most technically gifted defenders. 

“Our game plan really worked and I thought we were very efficient with the way we wanted to play,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. The Tacoma Stars are a young and fast team who are their best in transition. The Milwaukee Wave not only did well to employ bodies behind the ball, they controlled the ball well in possession and this prevented the Stars from grasping any momentum in the first half. 

Alex Steinwasher has shown moments of brilliance in one-on-one matches throughout the season. His goal at the start of the second quarter was the perfect example. Steinwasher found himself isolated with a lone defender and cut to his weak foot for a driven far post finish. Within two minutes of Steinwasher’s goal, Lucas Burrieta would receive a blue card for tripping and the Milwaukee Wave had a power play set-piece opportunity. Alex Sanchez found Oscar Flores open at the back post and, just one second into the power play, the Milwaukee Wave extended the lead. Alex Caceres put one goal back and the first half would end with the Wave leading 3-1.

The third quarter played on for more than 13 minutes before the first goal was scoffed. The Tacoma Stars can never truly be counted out of a competition and Eddie Na netted his only goal of the game to create some tension in the scoreline. Before the quarter came to a close, goalkeeper William Banahene threw the ball down the field to veteran target Andre Hayne who responded with a goal to create some separation between the two teams. 

“Every time we were defending, we were able to break their initial pressure and create counter attacks,” Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave looked like a well oiled machine on Sunday, recognizing the appropriate moments to maintain possession and to beat the press. 

The final 15 minutes saw the game’s first real barrage of scoring. Alvarez scored his second goal of the game following a blocked shot and the wave led 5-2. The Stars scored two more unanswered goals and, with a lead of just one goal, the Milwaukee Wave were tasked with generating a response to interrupt Tacoma’s momentum. 

Under the Tacoma Stars' high press, Javier Steinwasher and Cesar Correa managed to break free. Correa’s long pass found Flores who completed the play with a half-volley goal. Against a sixth attacker, Alex Steinwasher claimed possession and scored from his own defensive half. 

The Stars scored two more goals before the end of the game. “We're usually better. We don't give up two goals in our sixth attacker defending…” Leite said. Despite the positive results, he has shown consistently high standards in his team, recognizing that there’s always room to grow. “Again, I thought the boys played really hard, especially when it got tight,” He continued. The Milwaukee Wave have now won four straight games and maintain the first spot in the MASL league table. 

“Certainly happy with the boys, with the travel and everything, and we just got to move on quickly for the game against Empire tomorrow,” Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave will play again within 24 hours of the end of Sunday’s game at Tacoma. 

The Milwaukee Wave will face the Empire Strykers at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California on Monday, February 16 at 8:35pm CST. Watch on Paramount Plus / CBS Sports Golazo Network.