AMBUSH LOSE 5-4 IN OVERTIME TO STRYKERS

Saint Charles, Missouri (March 7, 2026) – The St. Louis Ambush lost 5-4 to the Empire Strykers Saturday at The Family Arena. The loss is the third in a row for St. Louis, who dropped to 11-5-4 on the season, while the Strykers improved to 9-10-1.

Empire drew first blood when goalkeeper Brandon Gomez got off a long shot that found its mark in the fourth minute of the first quarter. Less than a minute later, the visitors made it 2-0 on a goal from Leopoldo “Polo” Hernandez and those numbers would hold until the end of the opening period.

In the seventh minute of the second quarter, Empire goalkeeper Brian Orozco (who came in a the start of the period) was called for a handball outside the box, giving the Ambush a shootout. Jeff Michaud took the kick for St. Louis and beat Gomez. At halftime, the Strykers enjoyed a 2-1 lead.

The Ambush drew even (2-2) at the four minute mark of the third frame when Mehrshad Ahmadi took a shot from beyond the yellow line that came off an Empire player and found its way into the net. The Ambush took a 3-2 lead in the eleventh minute when Gomez was caught out of the goal, giving an open target to a charging James Togbah, who scored off a long pass from Randy Martinez.

Just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter, Empire’s Hernandez nailed his second of the game to again knot the score (3-3). The Strykers took a 4-3 lead when Ali Somow beat Ambush goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento in the ninth minute. St. Louis registered the equalizer when Ahamdi took a shot that Gomez got a hand on but couldn’t control and the ball found the foot of John Gates, who tapped it in. With no further scoring before the final buzzer, the duel went into overtime.

In the sixth minute of overtime, Justin Stinson, shooting from between the arc and yellow line, found the back of the net to put the game away 5-4.

Next, the Ambush embark on a two-game road trip, visiting the Tacoma Stars on Saturday, March 21, followed by the San Diego Sockers on Sunday, March 22. The next Ambush home game is slated for Friday, March 27, when Utica City FC comes to town for a 7:05 p.m. CDT first kick at The Family Arena. The regular season concludes when the Ambush visit the Strykers Sunday, March 29.

Ambush group and single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2025-26 season are 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.