WAVE WIN OVERTIME BOUT AT HOME; SANCHEZ SCORES FIVE AGAINST THE AMBUSH.

By Henry Amini.

MILWAUKEE, WI - The 7-time Champions Milwaukee Wave returned home to play a rematch against the St. Louis Ambush in an electric overtime victory. 

Final Score: Milwaukee Wave 7, St. Louis Ambush 6.
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | REPLAY

The Milwaukee Wave scored first on a powerplay when Andre Hayne assisted Alex “Saucy” Sanchez, his name would go on to hold a significant and consistent presence in the stat sheet. Mario Falsone responded with his own goal but Sanchez would strike again in spectacular fashion using the boards to play the ball around Paulo Nascimento, setting himself up for the finish. 

“The team was creating chances. St. 
Louis just seemed to be super efficient with the chances they had,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave found themselves fighting from behind when the Ambush scored three goals unanswered. 

Sanchez scored again in the third quarter, chipping the ball over Paulo assisted by Oscar Flores. Keaton Woods scored for the Ambush to maintain their lead before the close of the third quarter. 

“I have to give hats off to Paulo. I thought he was obviously man of the match after Sanchez because he was amazing today,” Leite said, complimenting the veteran goalkeeper’s performance standing as a barrier between the Milwaukee Wave’s offensive firepower and the goal. The Wave took a staggering 37 shots and Paulo’s 16 saves aided in the Ambush defending a lead for some of the second half. 

Alvarez scored leading out of the final quarter break, assisted by Max Ferdinand who found his second assist of three on the night. Riley Urie notched one more point for the Ambush before the Milwaukee Wave began their fourth quarter comeback. 

“It's fun to see Jerry [Perez] and the team and the confidence the guys are building with him when we are in these kinds of situations, it can change the game,” Leite said. Gerardo “Jerry” Perez played the fourth quarter for the Milwaukee Wave—this followed William Banahene’s foundational eight save performance—as a hybrid sixth-attacker and he scored the momentum shifting goal for the Wave, his second goal of the season. The score was brought to a deficit of just one goal at 5-6 and Sanchez struck again, scoring the equalizing goal in the final two minutes of regulation. 

The two teams would enter the sudden-death overtime period tied 6-6. Leite courageously employed Perez as a sixth attacker rather than a traditional defensive goalkeeper. The Wave played man-up style offense throughout just 37 seconds of extra time before Sanchez scored the game-winner, rounding off a six point performance for the 24 year old MASL MVP candidate. 

“The mentality is what I'm most proud of. We never quit. We had our backs against the wall,” Leite said, echoing his message from Saturday night’s loss in St. Louis; strong mentality is crucial in back to back weekends. The Wave showed a serious will to win on Sunday and pride in defending their home turf. 

The Milwaukee Wave face Utica City FC at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York on Sunday, February 1 at 2:00pm CST.