AMBUSH ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS WITH DRAMATIC KNOCKOUT WIN

Saint Charles, Missouri (April 8, 2026) – In a nail-biting evening of professional indoor soccer, the St. Louis Ambush came out on top when they advanced to the semifinal round of the Major Arena Soccer League’s Ron Newman Cup Playoffs Wednesday night at The Family Arena. St. Louis had previously won game one in the series on Monday, then Kansas City took game two 6-5 on Wednesday, setting the stage for a dramatic 15-minute knockout game to decide the series. The Ambush won that contest 2-0 and moved on to the next round.

The Ambush got on the board first when Ryan Khedoo found the back of the net in the fifth minute of the match. The first quarter expired with St. Louis leading 1-0.

The Comets drew even in the second minute of the second period on a restart goal from Lesia Thetsane. Kansas City got a power play in the seventh minute when St. Louis was penalized for too mamy men on the field. The Ambush successfully killed the penalty and play continued. St. Louis regained the lead in the twelfth minute on a restart when Lucas Almeida sent the ball to James Thomas, who passed it to Christian Briggs, who beat KC goalkeeper Nicolau Neto to make it a 2-1 game. Dominic Francis scored the equalizer for the Comets in the fourteenth minute, making it a 2-2 match at halftime.

The Comets took a 3-2 lead in the third minute of the third quarter when Ignacio Flores went on a breakaway and put a shot out of reach of Ambush goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento. Kansas City increased the lead to two (4-2) in the sixth minute when Guerrero Pino took a shot that hit the post and careened into the net. In the thirteenth minute, Flores tallied his second of the duel. Four consecutive Comets goals gave them a 5-2 lead heading into the final frame.

The Ambush got one back in the second minute of the fourth quarter when Mario Falsone managed to get open and take a pass from John Gates and beat Neto with a low shot, making it a 5-3 contest. St. Louis closed the gap in the fifth minute when Will Eskay went on a breakaway and scored off a pass from Falsone, resulting in a 5-4 score. James Togbah scored for the Ambush 13 seconds later when he got off a long shot from beyond the yellow line, making it 5-5. The seesaw battle continued with Rian Marques notched an unassisted tally to give the Comets a 6-5 lead At the twelve minute mark, Kansas City’s Lesia Thetsane earned a blue card for contact above the shoulder, giving St. Louis a power play, but the Comets managed to successfully kill off the penalty. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, the Ambush pulled Nascimento and Eskay donned the sixth attacker jersey. Time ran out, giving the Comets the win and tying the series 1-1, resulting in a deciding 15-minute knockout game.

In the seventh minute of the 15-minute knockout game, Colin O’Keefe scored off a pass from Robert Williamson, giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead. The Ambush went on a power play in the twelfth minute with Marques was sent to the sin bin for contact above the shoulder. St. Louis made the most of the man advantage in the fourteenth minute when Christian Briggs beat Neto off a pass from Jeff Michaud, giving the home side a 2-0 lead.

The Ambush now move on to the semifinal round where they will square off with the San Diego Sockers. Game One of that series is Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7:05 p.m. at The Family Arena.

Ambush playoff tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com or 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.