Tacoma Stars Reserves Crowned Champions of the Western Indoor Soccer League

Writing by Merrick Parnell, Photos by Alex Vogt

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In its 10th season, the Western Indoor Soccer League (WISL) saw the Tacoma Stars Reserves defeat Bellingham United Football Club 6-3 at the Kent Showare Center, the home arena of the professional Tacoma Stars in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL).

Tacoma claimed the WISL title for the sixth time in the league's 10-year history and secured its fourth consecutive championship. Bellingham, the defending champion, entered the match with four WISL titles, the most recent coming in the 2019-2020 season when they defeated Tacoma. These two clubs are the only teams ever to win a WISL championship.

This highly anticipated match featured some of the league's best players, including Men’s Player of the Year Rich Henderson of Bellingham and WISL Goalkeeper of the Year Luis Birrueta of the Tacoma Stars, as well as several members of the league’s first and second teams.

Match Highlights

The match began with Tacoma scoring the first goal. Habib Barry finished a cross right in front of the goal through traffic, putting the Stars up 1-0 early in the first quarter, which would be the frame's only goal.

In the second quarter, Tacoma extended its lead to 2-0 following a four-second violation that resulted in a top-of-the-arc free kick from Steve Mohn, which sailed into the net. Bellingham responded after a failed clearance attempt, leading to an opportunity for Judah Straight, who scored from the top of the arc to bring the score to 2-1 in favor of Tacoma, with about 13 minutes remaining in the second period.

It didn’t take long for Tacoma to restore its two-goal lead. AJ Nitzel created space off a step-over in the neutral zone, freeing himself for a left-footed strike into the near corner for Tacoma’s third goal, putting the Stars ahead 3-1 with 11:27 left in the second. The first half ended with Tacoma leading 3-1.

Bellingham’s Response and Tacoma’s Control

Bellingham pulled within one goal in the third period. Adan Fernandez launched a shot off the wall that found the foot of Christian Caro, who finished it into the back of the net, making it 3-2, Tacoma.

However, Tacoma quickly restored its two-goal lead after taking advantage of a crowd in front of the net, scoring the Stars’ fourth goal to go up 4-2 with under two minutes remaining in the third. With less than a minute to go in the period, Caro had a chance to tie the game but was denied by a sprawling save from Birrueta, preserving Tacoma’s 4-2 lead heading into the final frame.

Tacoma sealed the victory in the fourth period with their fifth goal, a 3-on-1 offensive rush. Cale Spence’s strike just under the crossbar made it 5-2. Bellingham responded with a goal of its own with 3:08 left, as Kevin Flavin struck from a tough angle, pulling the score to 5-3.

With Bellingham’s goalkeeper pulled for an extra attacker, Tacoma iced the game with a sixth goal from Cris Lozano, deep into the net, to secure a 6-3 victory.

Coach Baker’s Praise for Team Performance

After the match, Tacoma Coach Adam Baker was thrilled with his team's efforts and the result.

“This was one of our most complete games of the season, particularly in the second and fourth quarters. Offensively, we maintained possession in the attacking third and executed our game plan well. Defensively, we stayed organized, limited their transitional moments, and denied clear goal-scoring opportunities. Birrueta did a great job in goal, making the routine saves we needed while keeping distribution sharp,” said Baker. He went on to recognize some dynamic performances by his players in key moments.

“Several key moments defined this match. It started with an early goal from Habib, which set the tone for the game. Lozano’s goal against their sixth attacker sealed the game, while our execution on restarts (Mohn) and power plays (Prado-Huerta) added crucial pressure on the opposition. These moments were game-changers, and our ability to capitalize on them made the difference. Players like Cale Spence and Al Nitzel also stepped up with outstanding individual performances, finding space and finishing their chances effectively,” said Baker.

Bellingham’s Rich Henderson Reflects on the Loss

Bellingham Player-Coach Rich Henderson also shared his thoughts on the match in his post-game comments.

“Even though we didn't play our best, it was a power play against a 4-second violation call that turned the game against a team that hasn't lost a game since we beat them at home last season. It is always going to be tough when you are playing an organization like the Tacoma Stars with their resources, but we again made the final and had a third of our roster made up of first-year indoor players—something to build on for sure,” Henderson said.