DRAGONS LIGHT UP MACHINE

[Sonny]

Ex-Colorado goalie Chris Bluse started for Chicago and posted 16 saves, allowing 15 goals in 53:05 minutes of play.

Goalkeeper Matt Vallone made 19 saves, including 13 in the second half, as the San Francisco Dragons (3-6) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 21-11 victory over the Chicago Machine (2-7) in a Western Conference game at Kezar Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Vallone, who was named as the Bud Light MVP for the first time in his career, held the Machine to one goal in the third quarter as the Dragons broke open a two-goal lead by scoring six times in the period.

The teams traded goals twice to start the game before rookie midfielder Pat Heim scored with an unassisted goal with 1:39 left in the first quarter, giving Chicago a 3-2 lead. But, midfielders Greg Gurenlian and Chris Rotelli tallied consecutive goals in a 20-second span as the Dragons took a 4-3 advantage.

Midfielders Brad Heritage and Matthew Karweck opened the second quarter with back-to-back goals to regain a one-goal edge for the Machine before the Dragons countered with three straight points for a 7-5 advantage. Attackman Ryan Powell tied the game with an unassisted goal before Rotelli added his second goal of the first half, a two-point marker with 3:46 left in the stanza.

The teams traded goals to end the first half, giving San Francisco an 8-6 advantage at the intermission.

Led by three goals from attackman Liam Banks, the Dragons began the second half with six straight goals to extend their cushion to 14-6 with 2:44 left in the period. Midfielder Nicholas Schmidt ended the San Francisco spurt with an unassisted goal with 2:07 left in the third quarter, snapping a nearly 14-minute scoreless drought.

The Dragons put the game out of reach by scoring seven of the first nine goals in the fourth quarter, upping their advantage to 21-9 with 1:01 remaining. Rookie attackman Jake Byrne scored a goal and had two assists during the fourth quarter run. Despite two goals in the final minute, the Machine were unable to win their second straight game.

Banks led the Dragons to the victory with five goals and an assist while Byrne added a two-goal, three-assist performance. Powell scored a goal with four assists for San Francisco, which outshot Chicago by a 56-51 margin.

Karweck scored three goals to lead Chicago in a losing effort.

Line Score 1 2 3 4 TOTAL
Chicago 3 3 1 4 11
San Francisco 4 4 6 7 21

One-Point Goals:
CHI - Matthew Karweck 3, Brad Heritage 2, Nicholas Schmidt 2, Pat Heim 1, Jake Deane 1, Sean Morris 1, Doug Shanahan 1.
SF - Liam Banks 5, Jake Byrne 2, Nate Watkins 2, Hunter Lochte 2, Greg Rommel 1, Jarett Park 1, Todd Fairlie 1, Ryan Powell 1, Chris Rotelli 1, Tim Treubig 1, Greg Gurenlian 1.

Two-Point Goals:
SF - Chris Rotelli 1.

Assists:
CHI - Pat Heim 1, Sean Morris 1, Doug Shanahan 1.
SF - Ryan Powell 4, Jake Byrne 3, Liam Banks 1, Matt Alrich 1, Tim Booth 1, Chris Rotelli 1, Hunter Lochte 1.

Saves:
CHI - Christopher Bluse 16 (53:05, 15 goals allowed), Mike Gabel 1 (6:55, 5 goals allowed).
SF - Matt Vallone 19 (56:33, 9 goals allowed), Matt Madalon 2 (3:27, 2 goals allowed).

Attendance: 2,750