Sockers Hold off Turlock 5-4 in First Place Battle
December 7, 2014 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
SAN DIEGO--A hard-fought battle for first place in the Major Arena Soccer League's Pacific Division saw the host San Diego Sockers hang on for a 5-4 victory over the Turlock Express at the Valley View Casino Center. Kraig Chiles had a goal and assist as the Sockers (5-1) built a 5-2 halftime lead before almost seeing it slip away during a scoreless second half and furious fourth quarter Express rally.
"Sometimes you win ugly," said goalkeeper Chris Toth, who made sixteen saves, including a bonus stop on a Turlock free kick in the final minute to preserve the win, "We know we have to improve, and we will improve."
A crowd of 2,570 saw the Sockers shut out after halftime for the first time since returning to play six seasons past. The Express (3-3) got a penalty shootout goal from player/head coach Enrique Tovar (SDSU) with 9:48 remaining to narrow the lead to 5-3, then as San Diego focused on possession, Turlock eventually was able to get the ball back and call timeout with 2:11 on the clock. Going to six attackers, Jose Martinez was able to score quickly on an assist from Jorge Fernandez, drawing the Express to 5-4 down with 1:37 still left to play.
After a defensive clearance by San Diego allowed the Express a top-of-the-arc free kick, Toth protected his far post with an athletic reaction save against Tovar, punching his strike into the crossbar before fighting for the rebound in mid-air. HIs resulting distribution was touched by Turlock sixth attacker Adrian Gutierrez for a handball and a two-minute penalty that iced the game with thirteen seconds on the clock.
"A win's a win. It's Turlock, they're second in our division, they're a good team," said head coach Phil Salvagio, "We dominated and kept the ball most of the second half, but we didn't finish our chances."
A quiet first quarter saw only one goal, coming as the Express made the mistake of trying to change field personnel while the Sockers gained possession. Quickly Chiles found Ze Roberto unmarked on the back post for his second goal of the season and a 1-0 San Diego lead.
Turlock got their chance to capitalize on a Sockers mistake early in the second quarter. After a promising chance for San Diego's Nick Perera (two assists) came up empty, the back line was caught flat-footed and Tovar's side wall pass found Jorge Fernandez behind the defense for a breakaway goal and a 1-1 tie.
The Sockers regained the lead forty two seconds later by creating a 3-v-2 down low. On a Toth distribution to Chiles, the captain deftly cut a pass on left wing to rookie Matias Kruger, who redirected to Chiky Luna on the move for a tic-tac-toe goal and a 2-1 San Diego lead at the 11:43 mark.
Midway through the second, the quick nature of the game of indoor revealed itself once again, as a ball deep in San Diego's zone was kicked by Anthony Medina to Perera on the near wall across two lines. Perera flicked his pass out of midair with a back-heel to Jeff Hughes, whose attempt to pass back to Nick on the back post turned into a goal when it deflected off a defender and into the net for a 3-1 advantage.
Turlock scored on Gutierrez's near-post goal with 5:40 left in the half, but the Sockers closed the second quarter with a pair of goals involving defender Eduardo Velez. FIrst "El Vaquero" received a pass from Perera, who battled two defenders on the goal wall before spotting his teammate in the crease for his fifth goal of the season.
Next, it was Eduardo's turn to pass, springing a counter-attack by setting up Chiles, who faked the keeper before slotting the near post for his ninth goal of the year. Leading 5-2 at intermission, few could have imagined the second half would end with white knuckles and an escape.
Tovar lamented his team's missed opportunities to steal a road win as the Express fell to 0-6 all-time in regular season action against the Sockers and 0-8 including playoff games.
"We had around five very clear open chances and didn't put them away," said the first-year player/head coach but long-time Sockers adversary, "When you play against a good team like San Diego and you miss those chances it's hard to win."
The Sockers (5-1) will look to solidify their grasp on first place in the Pacific Division when they host Seattle Impact FC (2-2) on Saturday, December 13th at the Valley View Casino Center. Tickets are available at (866) 799-GOAL or online at sockers.com.
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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from December 7, 2014
- Fury Take over Second Place with Victory over Turlock - Ontario Fury
- Ontario Fury Game Notes - Ontario Fury
- Sockers Hold off Turlock 5-4 in First Place Battle - San Diego Sockers
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