Barracuda upend Reign in 4-2 win, split weekend series

San Jose Barracuda forward Zach Ostapchuk (#63) reacts after scoring a goal on Ontario Reign goalie Phoenix Copley (#29) during the Cuda’s 4-2 win over the Reign at Tech CU Arena on Saturday NOV 1, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda rebounded nicely after a very poor performance the night before in a 4-2 victory over the Ontario Reign on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose snapped it’s two-game losing streak and won for just the second time in their past six games. Ontario lost for the just the second time in its past six games.

The Barracuda (3-5-0) drew first blood defenseman Jack Thompson scored his first goal of the season at the 8:07 mark of the first period. Ethan Cardwell, who was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch the night before, picked up the primary assist and Lucas Carlsson received the secondary helper.

Zach Ostapchuk doubled the Cuda’s lead with a short-handed goal late in the opening frame. Ostapchuk skated in a breakaway and beat Reign goalie Phoenix Copley with a wrist shot for his second goal of the season at the 15:05 mark.

Ontario (5-3-1) cut their deficit in half when Martin Chromiak scored his third goal of the season just past the halfway mark of the second period at 10:23. Glenn Gawdin and Joe Hicketts set up Chromiak’s second goal in as many games.

The teams traded power play goals in the third period. Quentin Musty regained San Jose’s two-goal lead when he buried a shot past Copley for his second goal of the season at the 7:34 mark. Colin White and Cam Lund were credited with assists. Then Taylor Ward answered with fifth goal of the season at the 16:07 mark to bring some late game drama.

However, 63 seconds later, Pavol Regenda shut down any Reign attempt at a comeback when he scored his first goal of the season to seal the deal for San Jose with 2:50 remaining in the game. Filip Bystedt had the only assist on the play.

Cuda goalie Gabriel Carriere stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced to earn his first win of the season. Copley made 26 saves on 30 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-2 on the power play. Ontario went 1-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Musty 2) Ostapchuk 3) Thompson.

UP NEXT: San Jose starts a five-game road trip when they take on the Ontario Reign on Tuesday November 4th at 7:00pm at Toyota Arena.

Reign bury Barracuda with second period barrage in 6-1 route

Ontario Reign forward Taylor Ward celebrates his goal along the wall with his teammates against the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Friday OCT 31, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — It was ghoulish night for the first ever game played on Halloween in the franchise history of the San Jose Barracuda.

The Ontario Reign played the role of Frankenstein’s monster with a four goal second period en route to a 6-1 blowout victory on Friday evening at the haunted house known as Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last four games. Ontario has won four out of its last five games.

Ontario (5-2-1) drew first blood early in the first period. Martin Chromiak centered a pass from behind the net out to Taylor Ward whose initial shot was stopped by Cuda goalie Jakub Skarek. Ward fought through a check in front of the crease and collected his own rebound and beat Skarek for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:48 mark.

San Jose (2-5-0) responded a power play goal late in the opening frame. A shot from the point by Luca Cagnoni was stopped by a sprawled-out Reign goalie Erik Portillo in front of a sea of traffic. Colin White pounced in from the point and his shot attempt hit off of Oliver Wahlstrom after a mad scramble in front of the crease for Wahlstrom’s first goal of in a Cuda sweater at the 18:09 mark.

It was the seventh consecutive game San Jose has conceded the game’s first goal. Ward has seven points in his past two games.

The Reign regained the lead with an even strength goal early on in the second period. Koehn Ziemmer’s shot from the right wing was redirected past Skarek by for his third goal of the season at the 6:59 mark.

Ontario went up by two goals after a turnover by San Jose in the neutral zone at the halfway mark of the middle frame. Samuel Bolduc skated in on a breakaway before sliding a backhander through the five-hole of Skarek for his fourth goal of the season at the 10:27 mark.

The Reign scored its third unanswered goal in the period. A shot from the point caromed off of both posts before Jack Hughes poked home the rebound at the 12:40 mark. Ziemmer and Angus Booth were credited with the assists on Hughes’ first goal of the season.

That was the end of the night Skarek as Cuda head coach John McCarthy inserted backup goalie Gabriel Carriere. Skarek went to the showers with 13 saves on 17 shots.

San Jose immediately didn’t do any better after the goalie change. Jakub Dvorak made it 5-1 with a four-on-four game at the 13:47 mark. Ward sent a cross-ice pass over to Dvorak who beat Carriere with a one-timer top shelf for his first goal of the season.

Kenny Connors made it five straight unanswered goals for Ontario as the puck deflected off of Cagnoni and Connors fired a shot past Carriere for his first career AHL goal at the 4:32 mark of the third period.

Portillo finished the game stopping all but one of the 36 shots he faced to earn his third win of the season. Carriere made four saves on six shots in mop up duty.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-5 on the power play. Ontario went 0-for-4.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Ontario conclude their two-game weekend series on Saturday November 1st at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

White’s power play goal lifts Barracuda over Admirals 3-2, split series

San Jose Barracuda forward Colin White (#16) celebrates his third period and eventual game winning goal against the Milwaukee Admirals with his teammates at Tech CU Arena on Saturday OCT 25, 2025. (Bridget Whitaker-Bay Area Sports Wrap)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Colin White picked a good time to score his first goal of the season.

White’s heroics in the third period gave the San Jose Barracuda a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose snapped its three-game losing streak as it split the series with the Admirals. Milwaukee has started the season splitting its first four games.

The game winning goal began when Luca Cagnoni’s shot from the point was initially saved by Admirals (and former Cuda) goalie Magnus Chrona. Igor Chernyshev collected the puck, went around the net before centering the puck out in front of the crease. Egor Afanasyev’s shot attempt was blocked in front, but White pounced on the rebound and went top shelf for his first goal of the season at the 7:08 mark of the final frame.

Milwaukee (2-2-0) continued its success on the power play from last night as they drew the game’s first goal on the man advantage early in the first period. Jake Lucchini’s shot from the point was initially save by Cuda goalie Jakub Skarek but Ryan Ufko cleaned up the rebound with a quick wrist shot to the short side for his second goal of the season at the 7:37 mark.

The Admirals have scored five power plays in six attempts during the weekend series against the Barracuda.

San Jose (2-3-0) evened the score late in the opening frame with an even strength goal. Ethan Cardwell finished off a give-and-go with Luca Cagnoni inside Milwaukee’s zone when he beat Chrona with a backhand shot through the five-hole for his second goal of the season at the 13:20 mark.

The Barracuda gained its first lead on the power play late in the middle frame. Cagnoni blasted a shot from the point past a screened Chrona for his second goal of the season at the 13:12 mark. Afanasyev picked up his first point in a Cuda sweater with the primary assist. Quentin Musty was credited with the secondary assist.

Milwaukee scored the equalizer with 65 seconds left in the period. The puck hit off of the right boards past an outstretched Cagnoni who fell to the ice. Oasiz Wiesblatt hopped over Cagnoni, gathered the puck and beat Skarek with a wrist shot to the short side for his second goal of the season and second in as many games.

Skarek finished the match stopping 20 of the 22 shots he faced to earn his second win of the season. Chrona made 36 saves on 39 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the game 2-for-5 on the power play. Milwaukee was 1-for-2.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) White 2) Cagnoni 3) Afanasyev.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels down to San Diego for a midweek tilt with the Gulls on Wednesday October 29 at 7:00pm at Pechanga Arena San Diego.

Admirals make Barracuda pay for sinbin carousel in 6-2 win

Milwaukee Admirals forward Oasiz Wiesblatt (#88) celebrates his second period goal with his teammates along the boards against the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Friday OCT 25, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Milwaukee Admirals scored four goals on the man advantage in the second period to power past the San Jose Barracuda in a 6-2 victory on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost three games in a row. Milwaukee has won two of its first three games to start the season.

San Jose (1-3-0) had three power play opportunities in the first period but weren’t able to capitalize on them thanks to the Admirals penalty kill led by goalie Matthew Murray who stopped all 15 shots.

Milwaukee (2-1-0) drew first blood at the end of the opening frame despite only registering 4 shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of the game. Ryan Ufko’s shot from the point clanked off of the back of Cuda goalie Gabriel Carriere and then off of the post. Former San Jose Sharks prospect David Edstrom poked home the rebound for his first goal of the season at the 19:56 mark.

The Admirals doubled its lead with a 5-on-3 power play goal to open up the second period. Ufko’s shot from the point was initially saved by Carriere. Cole O’Hara partially fanned on the rebound that trickled back into the middle and tapped home by Zach L’Heureux for his second goal of the season at the 2:02 mark.

Milwaukee scored its second power play goal of the game and third unanswered goal just over a minute later. Jake Lucchini received a puck from behind the net and centered the puck over to Daniel Carr open in the slot. Carr’s quick wrist shot falling down beat Carriere top shelf for his second goal of the season at the 3:24 mark.

Oasiz Wiesblatt scored Milwaukee’s third straight power play goal when he finished a tic-tac-toe play after getting behind Jake Furlong to beat Carriere with a point-blank shot for his first goal of the season at the 5:52 mark. Reid Schaefer and L’Heureux were credited with the assists.

San Jose had a 1:50 worth of a 5-on-3 power play opportunity with nine minutes remaining in the middle frame but Filip Bystedt’s tripping penalty at the 12:44 mark wiped away the chance for the Cuda to get back into the game.

The Barracuda finally got off the schneid with an even strength goal exactly two minutes later at the 7:52 mark. Samuel Laberge found a trailing Mattias Havelid who sniped a wrist shot past Murray for his first goal of the season.

Milwaukee scored its fourth power play goal of the period when Ufko’s shot from the left point deflected off of Cole Clayton and past Carriere for Ufko’s first goal of the season at the 14:10 mark. O’Hara and Joey Willis picked up helpers on the play.

Kasper Halttunen scored a power play goal for the Barracuda at the 18:02 mark when he blasted a shot past Murray for his second goal of the season. Cam Lund and Filip Bystedt recorded assists.

Ryder Rolston concluded the game’s scoring with an empty netter, his second of the season, with 2:16 remaining in the contest.

Murray finished the game stopping 37 of the 39 shots he faced to earn his second win of the season. Carriere made 18 saves on 23 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-8 on the power play. Milwaukee was 4-for-4.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Milwaukee conclude their two-game weekend series on Saturday October 25 at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Firebirds swoop past Barracuda with five unanswered goals in 6-3 win

Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Osacar Fisker Molgarrd celebrates his first period goal against the San Jose Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Wednesday OCT 22, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Coachella Valley Firebirds scored five unanswered goals during a late second period blitz for a 6-3 come from behind victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has dropped two games in a row. Coachella Valley won for the first time this season.

Coachella Valley (1-2-1) drew first blood at the halfway mark of the first period with a power play goal. Logan Morrison found Oscar Fisker Molgaard who outwaited Cuda goalie Jakub Skarek before ripping a wrist shot to the far side of the net for his first goal of the season at the 10:29 mark.

San Jose (1-2-0) had two power play opportunities in the opening 20 minutes but failed to cash in on both chances. Firebirds goalie Nikke Kokko helped keep the Cuda off of the scoreboard as he made 11 saves.

The Barracuda evened the game early in the second period with an even strength goal. Cole Clayton sent a pass behind the Firebirds out to Anthony Vincent along the goal line. Vincent looked up and fired a quick shot on the net that deflected off of Kokko for his first goal of the season at the 4:33 mark. Zack Ostapchuk recorded the secondary assist.

San Jose gained it first lead with a pretty tick-tac-toe of a goal near the halfway mark of the middle frame. Colin White’s back pass found Cam Lund at the top of the faceoff circle. Lund gave it up to Lucas Carlsson in the right slot and the right-handed defenseman beat Kokko with a wrist shot for his first goal of the season at the 8:56 mark.

The Cuda scored its third unanswered goal on the power play just under two minutes later. Filip Bystedt found his linemate Kasper Halttunen wide open in the slot and Finnish winger blasted a one-timer past Kokko for his first goal of the season at the 10:51 mark. White picked up his second helper of the game with the secondary assist.

The Firebirds cut their deficit to a one goal thanks to a failed clearance by the Barracuda. Morrison scored his first goal of the season 51 seconds later. David Goyette and Jagger Firkus recorded assists on the play.

Coachella Valley scored the equalizer at the 14:24 mark when Carson Rehkopf circled out from behind the Cuda net and found Mitchell Stephens alone in the slot and Stephens buried a one-timer past Skarek for his first goal of the season.

Firkus regained the lead for the Firebirds exactly a minute later when after a faceoff inside the Cuda zone, Firkus marched in all alone on Skarek and beat him to the near side for his first goal of the season and Coachella Valley’s third unanswered at the 15:24 mark.

Kaden Hammell gave the Firebirds an insurance goal at the halfway mark of the third period. Hammell collected the puck near the red line, made a move around a Cuda defender along the right boards before skating in and beating Skarek through the five-hole for his first goal of the season at the 10:28 mark.

Morrison scored his second goal of the game with an empty netter with 44 seconds remaining in the game to close out the scoring.

Kokko finished the game stopping 24 of the 27 shots he faced in earning his first win of the season. Skarek made 28 saves on 33 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-5 on the power play. Coachella Valley was 1-for-7.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its three-game homestand with a weekend series with the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday October 24th at 7:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Kings Struggles Continue as Clippers Cruise Past Sacramento 109–91

Nique Clifford #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives to the basket during the game against the LA Clippers during a NBA preseason game on October 15, 2025 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO — The Kings desperately need some good vibes going into the season. Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Clippers, the Kings had lost both of their preseason games—and both were ugly. Wednesday was no different as the Kings fell to the Clippers 109-91 at Golden 1 Center.

The Kings’ first-half stats were abysmal as they went 16-for-41 from the field, 3-for-18 from three, and trailed 60-40 at halftime. The team’s leading scorer in the first half was Zach LaVine with nine points. Domantas Sabonis had seven points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes of action before being pulled with a hamstring injury, per the Kings.

The Kings’ effort to implement a fast-paced offense while playing gritty, hard-nosed, accountable defense has proven unfruitful so far. Through the end of the third quarter, nothing was going right for Sacramento as they trailed 90-61 heading into the final frame. The Kings weren’t imposing themselves on the defensive end, and they weren’t making any shots on the other.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings outscored the Clippers 30-19, but it was too little too late. The Kings’ lone bright spot and leading scorer at the end of the game was Nique Clifford. Clifford, who has played well in all three of the Kings’ preseason games, scored 19 points, grabbed three rebounds, and added a block and a steal in the contest. The Kings ultimately fell to the Clippers, but it was good to see solid minutes from the rookie they traded up to draft.

“I’ve definitely just been trying to find a flow within our group,” the rookie said after the game. “Kinda trying to establish my role and what I can bring to the team. I’ve been trying to bring energy and effort, the two things I can focus on… I’ve been trying to focus on energy and defense.”

That’s not only good to hear for Kings fans, but Nique has been backing it up with his play this preseason. However, the same can’t be said about many others in the group. And that, albeit in preseason, is a concerning trend to watch as the Kings begin the regular season in one week in Phoenix against the Suns.

“I told them, you have to learn how to win ugly games,” Doug Christie said after the game. “That game there, they weren’t making shots at the beginning of the game. But there was a flow, the ball was moving, they got some good open looks. You didn’t make ’em, so that should not affect the way that you play on the defensive end of the floor. It just can’t.”

Doug also talked about the details and honing in on that for the Kings on the defensive end—something that sounds like an echo from last year under former head coach Mike Brown.

“I told them early on, I said the road to success is full of potholes and is always under construction, so this is not going to be a simple, easy fix.”

Without overreacting to preseason action, this is certainly not an easy fix. In fact, it may be an impossible one. The details, sloppy defense, and lack of effective offense are what got Mike Brown fired last season. He was, in fact, preaching the same points of emphasis that Scott Perry and Doug Christie are this season. The players currently on the Kings’ roster have, en masse, have not shown a willingness to adapt their style to the identity the Kings are trying to employ. Again, it’s preseason—I get it. However, I’d be shocked if these issues magically disappear come Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Up Next:
The Kings will travel to Los Angeles on Thursday to take on the Lakers in their final preseason game of the year.

Note:
Domantas Sabonis left the game after 24 minutes of action with a right hamstring issue. After the game, Doug Christie told the media he had not yet been updated on his condition.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Musty scores first pro goal in wild Barracuda 7-6 Opening Night win over Condors

San Jose Barracuda forward Quentin Musty (#13) celebrates his professional goal with his teammates during his team’s 7-6 win over the Bakersfield Condors at Tech CU Arena on Saturday OCT 11, 2025. (Brian Collett-Inside The Rink)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda used a balanced scoring attack with seven different goal scorers to defeat the Bakersfield Condors 7-6 in the team’s season opener on Saturday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose opened the season with a win with 2024 NHL first round pick Quentin Musty scoring a goal in his AHL debut.

Bakersfield (0-1-0) drew first blood 39 seconds into the contest. Roby Järventie centered the puck over Viljami Marjala in between the faceoff circles. Marjala found Rem Pitlick with a backdoor pass as Pitlick tapped it home from the near corner past ‘Cuda goalie Jakub Skarek for his first goal of the season.

San Jose (1-0-0) evened the game at the 7:15 mark. A turnover in the neutral zone had Cam Lund find Filip Bystedt at the Condors blueline. Bystedt skated in and wired a wrist shot from the slot top shelf past Matt Tomkins for his first goal of the season.

The Barracuda gained its first lead of the season when Jake Furlong sent a shot from the point that was went off the skate of Jack Ostapchuk for his first goal of the season at the 11:43 mark.

The Condors tied it up with a power play goal just over three minutes later. Max Jones set up notorious ‘Cuda killer Seth Griffith along the slot. The veteran forward beat Skarek with a wrist shot for his first goal of the season at the 14:47 mark.

Bakersfield regained the lead on the next shift 19 seconds later. A giveaway by Pavol Regenda behind his own net let to Pitlick centering a pass over to Riley Stillman who beat Skarek with a one-timer to the right corner for his first goal of the season.

San Jose evened the game with 13 seconds left in the opening frame. Jimmy Huntington centered the puck out in front of the crease to Patrick Giles. Tomkins initially stopped Giles first shot attempt, but Giles cleaned up his own rebound with a shot through the five-hole for his first goal of the season. It was Huntington’s first point in a Barracuda sweater.

San Jose earned its second lead of the game with a 5-on-3 goal early in the second period. Igor Chernyshov centered the puck right into the crease from the left wing over to Quentin Musty who was parked out right in front. Musty tapped home the puck underneath Tomkins for his first professional career goal at the 3:10 mark. Cam Lund picked up the secondary assist.

Luca Cagnoni scored the ‘Cuda’s second power play goal of the period when he blasted a one-timer from the point past Tomkins for his first goal of the season at the 7:16 mark. Lund picked up his third helper of the game and Musty his first.

Huntington doubled the ‘Cuda’s lead with its fourth unanswered goal and third of the middle frame. Giles won a clean faceoff inside the Condor’s zone. Huntington picked up the puck and skated into the middle before riffling a wrist shot past Tomkins for his goal of the season at the 12:16 mark.

Bakersfield gained one back late in the period when Max Jones finished off of a two-on-one odd man rush for the Condors. Josh Samanski sent a cross-ice pass over to Jones who beat Skarek with a one timer to the near post for his first goal of the season at the 16:06 mark.

The Condors made it a one-goal game at the 18:11 mark when Pitlick centered the puck from behind the goal line out to Järventie who beat Skarek with a backhander to the near corner for his first goal of the season.

San Jose made it 7-5 seconds after its fifth power play opportunity ended to start the third period. Mattias Havelid earned his first point in a Barracuda uniform when his shot from the point was initially saved by Tomkins. Ethan Cardwell crashed the crease and cleaned up the rebound for his first goal of the season at the 1:42 mark.

Bakersfield once again made it a one goal game scoring for the second time on a 2-on-1 odd man rush. The difference this time was they were short-handed. Pitlick finished off a cross ice pass from Marjala for his first goal of the season at the 8:25 mark. It was Marjala’s third helper of the game.

Skarek finished with 27 saves on 33 shots to earn his first win of the season. Tomkins made 29 saves on 36 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 3-for-8 on the power play. Bakersfield was 1-for-2.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels down to Bakersfield to take on the Condors in their first road game of the season on Saturday October 18 at 7:00pm at Dignity Health Arena.

McSorley’s braces paces St. Louis CITY in 3-1 win over Earthquakes

St. Louis CITY striker Brendan McSorley celebrates his second goal against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park during St. Louis’ 3-1 victory on Saturday SEP 20, 2025. (St. Louis CITY)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Brendan McSorley picked a good time to score his first career MLS goals.

McSorley scored twice in his first ever start for St. Louis CITY SC as they defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on Saturday evening at PayPal Park.

It was only McSorley’s third appearance for CITY as the former Providence Friar started the season with St. Louis’ developmental team CITY2 and signed his first professional contract just two weeks ago on September 5th.

For San Jose this loss marks its third in a row and impeded its chances of earning the 9th place and final wild card spot in the Western Conference with three matches left in the regular season. St Louis CITY has won two games in a row for just the second time this season and has points in three consecutive matches.

St. Louis CITY (7-17-7-28-points) drew first blood in the 10th minute. Chris Durkin crossed the ball into the box over to Joao Klauss along the right slot. Klauss headed the ball back into the middle where an unmarked Brendan McSorley one-timed the ball out of the air past Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his first goal of the season.

San Jose (9-14-8-35 points) had two set piece opportunities two minutes apart in the 16th and 18th minute to score the equalizer, both corner kicks. First in the 16th minute, Cristian Espinoza found Dave Romney inside the box, but Romey’s header was easily saved by CITY goalkeeper Roman Burki. Then in the 18th minute, Chicho Arango’s header from Espinoza’s corner kick sailed just wide right of the net.

Marcel Hartel doubled CITY’s lead in the 19th minute. A long ball in from Durkin made its way over to McSorley just outside the box. McSorley found Hartel who spun and fired a shot past Daniel for his seventh goal of the season. Hartel is second in goals for St. Louis CITY two behind Klauss who leads the team with nine.

The Earthquakes cut their deficit in half when Arango earned a penalty kick in the 29th minute after he was tripped inside the box by right wing Célio Pompeu. Two minutes later, Arango cashed in the penalty with a blistering shot to the left corner of the net for his team leading 13th goal of the season.

McSorley recorded his brace just before halftime. Hartel crossed the ball into the box from just outside the D and McSorley’s diving header sneaked into the bottom left corner of the net for his second goal of the season in the 45th minute.

San Jose turned the momentum to start the second half by creating quality scoring chances only to have those chances blocked or saved by Burki, including four saves in the first 17 minutes. Burki’s best save came in the 80th minute off a right footed blast from Arango.

Burki finished with seven shots on nine shots on target to earn his sixth victory of the season. Daniel made three saves on six shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with 11 corner kicks. St. Louis CITY had three.

Tonight’s attendance was 15,337.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels down to Southern California to take on San Diego FC on Saturday September 27 at 7:30pm at Snapdragon Stadium.

Soderstrom and Harris Spark Athletics to Narrow 2-1 Win at Fenway

Soderstrom and Harris Spark Athletics to Narrow 2-1 Win at Fenway

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics keep finding ways to make things interesting. Tuesday night’s pendulum swung between frustration and redemption, the Green and Gold leaned on timely hitting from Tyler Soderstrom and Brett Harris to beat the Boston Red Sox 2–1 at Fenway Park.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough to extend a September surge that has kept the club competitive despite being mathematically eliminated from the postseason.

The night began with little to celebrate for Jeffrey Springs. The veteran left-hander, making his 31st appearance of the year, struggled again with efficiency. Springs surrendered the first run of the game in the third when Rob Refsnyder worked a walk and came around on Carlos Narváez’s double that deflected awkwardly off Lawrence Butler in center.

That lone blemish stung given the A’s inability to generate offense early. Shea Langeliers and Jacob Wilson reached in the first inning, but both were left stranded. By the middle of the fourth, Sacramento had more strikeouts than baserunners.

The game flipped in the sixth inning when the offense finally found an edge. Wilson singled to start the inning, and after Nick Kurtz went down swinging, Boston went to the bullpen. That decision cracked the door for Soderstrom, who came off the bench with two outs and promptly ripped a double into left field to score Wilson and tie the game.

A pinch-hit walk from Carlos Cortes kept the pressure on, and Harris delivered the dagger with a line drive single that brought Soderstrom across to give Sacramento its first lead at 2–1.

From there, the bullpen took over and protected the slim advantage with an efficiency that has become a late-season trademark. Mitch Spence, called up again from Triple-A, navigated through the middle innings and handed things off to Hogan Harris, who picked off Nick Sogard to escape the eighth.

The ninth belonged to Zack Gelof defensively, as the second baseman entered on a double switch and immediately turned a crisp game-ending double play with Jacob Wilson.

While the scorebook highlights Soderstrom and Harris as the heroes, the bigger story remains Sacramento’s ability to outlast opponents despite offensive inconsistencies. The club entered the night ranked third in the majors in slugging since the All-Star break. Not bad, it leaves hope for next season for sure!

Starting pitchers for Wednesday’s game for the A’s RHP Mason Barnett (1-1 ERA 8.53) for the Red Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (10-4 ERA 3.31) first pitch 3:45pm PT.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

Bouanga’s hat trick powers LAFC past Earthquakes 4-2 in front of record crowd at Levi’s Stadium

San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Beau Leroux plays the ball away from LAFC midfielder Mathieu Choiniere during LAFC’s 4-2 win at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday SEP 13, 2025. (John Todd, Getty Images)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif, — The invasion of Heung Min Son made its way to the Bay Area in front of a record crowd of 50,978 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

The former Tottenham Spurs captain and Korean national was all the buzz before the match but it was his teammate Denis Bouanga that stole his thunder recording a hat trick in LAFC’s 4-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Levi’s Stadium.

San Jose has lost three out of their last four matches and occupies the 9th and final wild card spot in the Western Conference. LAFC has earned points in four out of its five past matches.

Turnovers told the story for San Jose as LAFC took advantage of the Quakes lack of sharpness to start the match.

LAFC (12-7-8-44 points) began the fireworks in the first minute of the match. A bad turnover by San Jose led to Marco Delgado finding Artem Smolyakov along the left wing. Smolyakov crossed the ball over to Son who easily tapped the ball into an empty net for his second goal in an LAFC kit.

Denis Bouanga scored the first of his two goals in the ninth minute. Bouanga stripped the ball off of Daniel Munie along the sideline at midfield. Bouanga raced down the pitch before depositing the ball off of Quakes goalkeeper Daniel for his 16th goal of the season.

Three minutes later Bouanga had the brace when he broke away from the Quakes defense onside when Sergei Palencia sent a long ball down the right wing. Bouanga dribbled in all alone before chipping the ball over Daniel into the far corner of the net for his 17th goal of the season.

“I have to accept the responsibility that we have two of our better players in [Chicho] Arango and [Cristian] Espinoza turning the ball over right in the opening minute of the game that helped create their goal. We have to be better to start a game. They’re veteran players and they have to be a little bit sharper. You got to give the opponent credit, to turn that into a goal. But poor playing on our part and having a team step on the field and play the way we did in the open minutes of the games, it’s on me. I’m quite surprised at the way we stepped on the field in the opening minutes of the game,” Quakes head coach Bruce Arena said.

San Jose (9-13-8-35 points) finally stopped the bleeding in the 18th minute when they got on the scoreboard. Chicho Arango threaded the needle with a pass between two LAFC defenders into the middle of the box. Preston Judd raced in and fired a shot past LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for his seventh goal of the season.

LAFC put the game away in the 87th minute when Bouanga finished off his hat trick. Palencia came in from the right wing after taking a long ball from midfield. Palencia got Daniel to come out before sending the ball over to Bouanga who tapped in his team leading 18th goal of the season into an empty net. Bouanga finished with four points as he was involved in all four of his team’s goal.

“We haven’t played a back four for a long time, but we had a whole week to work on it. I think we felt pretty good, and we wanted to isolate Rodrigues, because he played really well against [Denis] Bouanga the first time when we went away against LAFC. The way they shaped up was a little different, and he didn’t receive the ball too much in the touchline. They were running behind a lot. I think we were a little naïve in the way we approached that and didn’t really change,” Earthquakes midfielder Ian Harkes said.

The Earthquakes cut the lead in half the 90th minute when Benji Kikanovic crossed the ball into the middle of the box. Josef Martinez’s bicycle kick attempt missed the ball and hit off the knees of Palencia into the back of the net for an own goal. However, it was too little, too late for San Jose as they were dominated their SoCal rival from start to finish.

Lloris, who made three spectacular saves in the second half, earned his 12th win of the season. Daniel made two saves on six shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with 10 corner kicks. LAFC had two.

The previous record for a home Earthquakes game was 50,850 at 2019 California Classico at Stanford Stadium.

The Quakes are now 7-12-1 against LAFC in MLS regular season play with a 6-3-0 record at home.

Judd’s 18th-minute goal was his 11th of his career.

Arango’s 18th-minute assist was his seventh of the season in MLS play and 28th of his career. He increased his tally to five goal contributions (2g/3a) in just four meetings with LAFC.

The Quakes snapped a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions at Levi’s® Stadium tonight (4-0-2).

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host St. Louis City at 7:30pm at PayPal Park.