PASL-Pro Weekly - Week 7
Published on December 29, 2010 under Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) News Release
Cougars End Winless Season at Expense of Rival Sockers
12/29/10 - Just when it looked like the nascent rivalry between the California Cougars and San Diego Sockers was waning, the two teams played one for the ages on Monday. The result was the 0-6 Cougars beating the 6-1 Sockers 9-8 in overtime at Stockton Arena.
How they got there was even more extraordinary. Last year all four games between the teams were decided by one goal, but the first two games this year ended easily in the Sockers favor. At the end of the first quarter on Monday the Sockers had a commanding 4-0 lead. The Cougars, to their credit, did not quit on Head Coach Antonio Sutton. Instead they rallied to cut the deficit to 5-4 by halftime.
The Sockers still maintained control extending their lead to 6-4 and 7-5 before the Cougars tied the game for the first time at 7-7. San Diego took the lead again, however, and the Cougars put Nelson Santana in as the sixth attacker.
Santana had been very effective last year in this role, but nothing had gone right for the Cougars this year. Things were different on Monday. The Cougars tied the game and opted to keep Santana in goal, an incredibly risky strategy that had paid off for them in last year's playoff game against Calgary. When the game went into overtime, the Cougars stayed with Santana, but the Sockers never got a chance to test him because Uriel Robledo scored on a deflection just 17 seconds in to send the season-high Cougars crowd into delirium. It was California's only lead of the game.
The Sockers still lead the hotly contested all-time series against California 5-2, not counting two Cougar wins in 2008/09 before San Diego became a fully active member of the PASL-Pro.
Player of the Week
Antonio Sutton, California Cougars
The Dean of the Cougars is now in his second season as player/coach of the team and still has a 13-10 record despite starting this season at 0-6. Sutton scored two big goals on Monday including the game-tying goal and also added an assist. He also kept Nelson Santana in as a sixth attacker even after tying the game. The risky strategy can make you look like a genius if it works and it worked. Sutton, a defender by trade, now has seven goals in the Cougars last two games.
Kick Starters - Conversations you should be having about the PASL-Pro
Bardales Latest Re-Cougar
In the California Cougars six year history a lot of players have come and gone, but good-bye rarely means forever. At one point or another several players including Bernie Lilavois (who retired and came back), Evan McNeley, Enrique Tovar, Vicente Figueroa, Craig Scheer, Chris Handsor, Myles Stoddard, and Ato Leone have left the team, been released, or signed elsewhere, only to come back again. The latest is Chay Bardales who made his season debut against San Diego Monday. The former LA Galaxy player had been playing with Tovar on Top Notch. Tovar, who also returned midseason, is in his third stint with the Cougars.
No Time for Overtime
In an incredible quirk, there have only been two overtime games in the PASL-Pro this season (not counting two US Open games that were decided in OT). Even more amazing, the two games both involved San Diego and produced a mere 52 seconds of extra time. San Diego needed only 35 seconds to defeat Tijuana earlier this year and California took only 17 seconds to finish off the Sockers on Monday.
Ball to Drop in Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Kings will greet the New Year by hosting their good friends the Louisville Lightning at Cincinnati Gardens in a special New Year's Day kickoff. It is the first New Year's Day game in the PASL-Pro's three-year history and could be the start of a new annual tradition in Cincinnati.
The Week Ahead
Wed, December 29, 2010
Time Home Away Location
06:15 PM San Diego Sockers San Diego Fusion Del Mar Arena - US Open
Fri, December 31, 2010
Time Home Away Location
02:00 PM Calgary United Edmonton Drillers Subway Soccer Centre
Sat, January 1, 2011
Time Home Away Location
07:35 PM Cincinnati Kings Louisville Lightning Cincinnati Gardens
About Professional Arena Soccer League and Premier Arena Soccer League
The PASL-Pro is a professional league which began play on October 25, 2008. Now in its third season, the PASL-Pro consists of US teams, the CMISL (Canada), and the LMFR (Mexico). The Tacoma Stars, Revolucion Tijuana, Wenatchee Fire, Kitsap Pumas, Springfield Demize, and Illinois Piasa have been added for the 2010-11 season. The PASL-Premier is in its 13th season as the nation's top amateur arena soccer league. The PASL-Pro and PASL-Premier are members of Federacion Internacional de Futbol Rapido (FIFRA).
Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from December 29, 2010
- San Diego Sockers Game Notes - San Diego Sockers
- Lightning Storm Chasers Host Caravan to Cincinnati Game Saturday - Louisville Lightning
- Nichols Hoping for Healthy Squad Ahead of Cincinnati Game - Louisville Lightning
- Lightning's Weyland Says Team Confident Ahead of Cincinnati Clash - Louisville Lightning
- PASL-Pro Weekly - Week 7 - PASL
- Cincinnati Kings Weekly - Cincinnati Kings
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