San Diego Sockers Game Notes vs. Monterrey
November 15, 2013 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
GAME TWO
San Diego Sockers (0-1) vs. Monterrey Flash (2-0)
DATE: Saturday, November 16th, 2013
PLACE: Valley View Casino Center
TIME: 7:05pm (PDT)
BROADCAST: AmericaOneSports.com
www.Sockers.com (internet)
FOR CURRENT PASL STANDINGS PLEASE VISIT PASLSOCCER.COM
A RIVALRY RENEWED: SOCKERS vs. MONTERREY
The San Diego Sockers continue their 2013-14 Professional Arena Soccer League campaign by welcoming the Monterrey Flash to the Valley View Casino Center on Saturday, November 16th, 2013. While the Flash and Sockers are meeting for the first time in the PASL, the rivalry between the two cities in the sport of indoor soccer has a rich history. San Diego and Monterrey clashed for years in the CISL (under the name La Raza de Monterrey), and the Sockers and Flash met twice during the 2012 FIFRA Championships, with San Diego twice prevailing in narrow games on the Flash's home turf. These two sides will meet again on January 26th, 2014 at Arena Monterrey.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
After winning all 35 of their home contests at the Del Mar Arena and their first 11 games at the Valley View Casino Center, the Sockers finally lost a home game on November 3rd, dropping the season opener to the Dallas Sidekicks by a 5-3 score. Kraig Chiles, Jeff Hughes and Evan McNeley scored in the Sockers loss, dropping San Diego's PASL regular season home record to 32-1. It was the lowest scoring game for the Sockers against a PASL opponent, and the first time since returning to action in 2009 that San Diego lost by more than a single goal.
FREE AGENT ADDITIONS DEBUT WITH GOALS
The Sockers signed free agents Jeff Hughes and Evan McNeley in the offseason. Hughes, the 2009-10 MVP of the PASL with Cincinnati, made his Sockers debut a successful one on a personal level, leading the Sockers with a goal and assist in their 5-3 loss to Dallas. Hughes converted a power play goal in the second quarter off an assist from Eduardo Velez, and earlier assisted on Kraig Chiles' first goal of the year. McNeley fired home his first Sockers goal from well beyond the red line, closing out the scoring in the fourth quarter against the Sidekicks.
SOCKERS WORKING ON SOME NEW STREAKS
The Sockers set a U.S. professional sports record from 2010-2013, winning 48 consecutive contests. Their 46-game home winning streak was dashed last Saturday. Dallas can count themselves as the streak breakers in both instances. Regardless, the Sockers can look back with pride at some remarkable success:
- 48 consecutive overall victories (12/29/10-1/27/13)
- 46 consecutive home victories (2009-13)
- 32-1 all-time in PASL regular season home games
- 10-0 in PASL playoff contests
- four-time defending PASL champs
THEY'RE THE TOPS: CHILES AND FARBER
In three-time defending PASL MVP Kraig Chiles and two-time defending first-team all-PASL midfielder Brian Farber, the Sockers can claim to have the top two goals and points scorers in the history of the PASL working side-by-side. Chiles, who set single-season goals (56) and points (72) records last year in winning his third straight MVP award, leads the PASL all-time in goals (164) and points (216). Farber, who won MVP honors with Stockton in 2008-09 and has been part of the past three Sockers championship teams, has 122 career goals and 200 career points, both second on the PASL's all-time list. Both players are looking to bounce back from sub-par efforts last weekend, when Farber was shut out and Chiles was held to a single point.
RECORD CROWD FOR SEASON OPENER
While the Sockers could not be pleased with the result at the end of Saturday night's game, the turnstiles were humming, with a crowd of 5,658 taking in the game at the Valley View Casino Center. The attendance was the highest for a Sockers game in San Diego since their return to action in 2009 and marked the third largest crowd in PASL history. The Monterrey Flash demolished the league record with 9,625 in their home opener on 11/2/13.
AN UNFAMILIAR PLACE
During four years of PASL domination there have been very few opportunities for the Sockers to be looking up at their competition. Last Saturday's loss marked the first time since entering the Professional Arena Soccer League that San Diego found themselves anywhere but first place or tied for first after their initial game. It's the first time the Sockers are below .500 (0-1) as a franchise since returning to action in 2009, the first time the team is -2 or worse in goal differential (all of the team's prior losses were by one goal) and the first time the Sockers find themselves in fifth place in the PASL Pacific Division.
TOTH SHINES BUT TAKES THE LOSS
After serving one season as an understudy to Riley Swift and spending the last two years splitting time in goal, 24-year-old Chris Toth took the reins as starting goalkeeper for the Sockers last Saturday. While Chris suffered his first loss in a Sockers uniform, the athletic keeper kept his team in the game, making 14 saves on the night. The Sidekicks had four breakaways on goal in the first half and were kept off the scoreboard in all four circumstances. Toth is now 26-1 lifetime when starting for San Diego and holds the PASL single-season record with a 3.23 goals against average in 2011-12.
"NO GOAL PATROL" KEEPING THE BEAT
Last season, the Sockers had the most effective penalty killing unit in the PASL, combining a 73.7% kill percentage (10 goals in 38 power plays) while adding a league-record eight short-handed goals for a grand total of -2 on all penalties against. This year's squad is off to a good start, killing off all five power plays against vs. Dallas, including a 19-second two-man disadvantage. The Sidekicks were 6-for-6 on the power play entering the game.
ROOKIE NO MORE: REZA SCORES IN OPENER
It's tough to crack the Sockers' starting fourteen and even tougher if you're a rookie to the indoor game. Raymundo Reza beat the odds on both accounts last season, starting twelve games and contributing eight goals and five assists (13 points). The former SDSU standout earned the trust of the coaching staff and started three playoff games including the Ron Newman Cup championship final, where he netted a goal and assist in San Diego's 8-6 victory over Detroit at the Valley View Casino Center. Raymundo kept up his contributions in the season opener, tallying an assist in San Diego's 5-3 loss to Monterrey.
AND THEN THERE WERE SEVEN: NEW PAC DIVISION
The PASL continues to grow and evolve as it enters its sixth season, and this year's 20-team iteration of the league sees the Pacific Division grow from five to seven teams. The most notable addition is the Las Vegas Legends, moved from the Southwest Division along with Toros de Mexico when the league combined from four divisions to three. The expansion Ontario Fury take the place of the folded Anaheim Bolts, while Bay Area Rosal moves up from the PASL-Premier to the top tier. Only San Diego, Turlock and Sacramento remain from last year's Pacific Division.
SOCKERS GAMES BROADCAST FREE ON AMERICAONESPORTS.COM ALL YEAR
The San Diego Sockers will have all of their games broadcast live for the fourth consecutive season, and the franchise has taken the additional step of making all of its online video broadcasts, home and road, available for free on the PASL's online partner AmericaOneSports.com. Other PASL games are also available at AmericaOne for an $8 per game or $90 season pass fee, but all Sockers games will be shown free of charge. In addition, every Sockers game will have an audio simulcast streamed live and archived on the Sockers' Livestream channel. Craig Elsten returns for his fifth season as the voice of the Sockers, joined by a rotating group of Sockers veterans for color commentary on home games, including legendary midfielder Paul Wright. Tim Strombel returns for his second season as sideline reporter for Sockers home broadcasts, with contributions from John Weisbarth.
ASSISTANT COACH SUSPENDED
Sockers assistant coach Ray Taila has been suspended by the PASL for Saturday night's game against the Flash. The suspension is the automatic result of Taila receiving a red card during the third quarter of the season opening loss to Monterrey, during an on-field altercation.
OPPONENT'S PROFILE: MONTERREY FLASH (2-0)
The Flash may be new to the PASL, but with a legion of indoor veterans on their side, Monterrey is making early plans to usurp Dallas and emerge as the Central Division champions. The Flash are led by longtime veteran player-coach Genoni Martinez (4 assists), a 38-year-old defender who has been playing professional indoor soccer since 1993 and was part of Monterrey's CISL and MISL championship teams. Erick Tovar and Gustavo Rosales are tied for the team lead with three goals each.
Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from November 15, 2013
- San Diego Sockers Game Notes vs. Monterrey - San Diego Sockers
- Wichita B-52s Fly to Las Vegas - Wichita B-52s
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