Legends fall to Monterrey in MASL conference final opener, 7-6

Angel Curiel’s goal 1:56 into the fourth quarter provided a 7-5 lead, and the Monterrey Flash held on to post a 7-6 win over the Las Vegas Legends on Friday night in the first Western Conference final game of the Major Arena Soccer League playoffs at Las Vegas Sports Park.

The Legends (15-8) again will face the Flash at 6 p.m. Sunday in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Should they win, they will play a 20-minute game Sunday night for a spot in the MASL finals.

Monterrey led 5-1 at halftime before Las Vegas roared back with four goals, including two by Felipe Gonzalez, to trail 6-5 heading into the fourth.

Monterrey’s Enrique Tovar squeezed a shot off two defenders pressed against the right post that squirted out in front to an open Curiel for an unassisted goal to give the Flash a 7-5 lead.

The Legends pulled goalie Zeke Sanchez, and Eric Guzman scored on an assist from Ivan Campos with 1:33 remaining, but they failed to net the equalizer.

David Powers, Christian Segura and Ricardo Sobreira scored for Las Vegas.