Hat-Tricks Galore, Cougars win 15-5
November 23, 2008 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
California Cougars News Release
HAT-TRICKS GALORE, COUGARS WIN 15-5
STOCKTON, Calif. - November 22, 2008 - Stockton (3-0, 4-0) received three goal performances from head coach Bernie Lilavois, Majell Aterado and Ato Leone during their record setting 15-5 win over the Denver Dynamite (2-3) at Stockton Arena. A crowd of 2,344 watched Lilavois, Aterado and Leone rack up four total points each in the match. The Cougars had not scored more than 11 goals in a home match until netting 15 in Saturday's win. The victory was also the largest margin of victory in team history.
Lilavois put the Cougars on the board for the first time mid-way through the first quarter. However, his team had already dropped behind the Dynamite by two goals before his score. His former teammate, Chris Handsor, gave Denver the early lead with a goal just :20 seconds into the match. Garth Archibald, a former Cougars player, assisted him on the opening score.
Sacramento native Mickey Duarte put the Dynamite up 2-0 in the first when he hit his goal against Jesus Molina and the Cougars. It would be the only time that Molina and the Cougars struggled to stop the Dynamite offense.
Coach Lilavois called a timeout after Duarte's goal. He took his team to the bench and the positive impact of the meeting was immediate. He scored the first of five consecutive Stockton goals. An unassisted goal from Aterado tied the match at 2-2 in the first quarter and Lilavois' second goal put the Cougars on top for good.
The Cougars quickly settled in to a more controlled attack after their initial timeout early in the first quarter. They dominated possession after the two early Denver goals and out shot the Dynamite 31-14 in the match. They took 10 shots in the second quarter to just two for Denver.
Outside of the two early goals, Molina was largely untested during the match. He did, however, making several outstanding saves late in the match. He finished with nine saves and picked up his third PASL-Pro conference win.
Denver goalkeeper Justin Dzuba saved 16 of 31 shots faced in the match. His defense helped with eight blocks.
The scoring continued for Stockton when Aterado connected again early in the second quarter. His goal extended the Cougars lead to 4-2. Nelson Santana then gave the Cougars the 5-2 lead with a goal assisted by Aaron Susi.
Archibald got into the mix with a goal at the 10:07 mark of the second to end the scoring run by the Cougars.
But, Pedro Lupercio struck a pass from Leone and nailed Stockton's sixth goal of the match just minutes after Archibald's score.
Leone scored three goals in the match, including his first as a member of the PASL-Pro. His first was a power play goal in the third quarter and was assisted by Santana.
Greg Howes scored two goals in the match and Brian Farber picked up one goal and an assist.
About the PASL-Pro
PASL-Pro is a newly formed arena soccer league that is made up of eight U.S. teams and four Canadian teams. The league has partnered with the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League (CMISL) and Liga Mexicana de Futbol Rapido (LMFR) in order to create a true North American arena soccer league. PASL-Pro is the direct result of 10 successful seasons of the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL-Premier). PASL-Premier is the nation's top amateur arena soccer league. PASL-Pro and PASL-Premier are members of Federacion Internacional de Futbol Rapido (FIFRA). More information about the PASL-Pro can be obtained at www.arenaleague.com.
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