San Diego Sockers Match Notes vs. Dallas
February 22, 2020 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) - San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers (12-6) conclude the final leg of their February road marathon when they take on the Dallas Sidekicks (2-16) on Sunday. The match is the second in the great state of Texas this weekend.
The team's road woes continued on Friday, as the Sockers lost to the Outlaws 5-3 at Mesquite Arena.
San Diego has dropped third straight away from Pechanga Arena. During the streak, the Sockers have lost to Florida, Ontario, and Mesquite.
San Diego, who has lost two straight games, is currently in second place in the Western Conference. However, Ontario (9- 8) and Sonora (9-9) are beginning to challenge the Sockers for the spot which guarantees home-field advantage in the opening round of the Ron Newman Cup playoffs.
Kraig Chiles leads the Sockers in scoring with 17 goals and 26 points.
Dallas enters the contest on a nine-game losing streak. The Sidekicks are returning home after a quick two-game California road trip to Ontario and Turlock on Wednesday and Friday. Freddy Moojen (14G, 3A) and Luiz Felipe Xavier De Andrade (11G, 6A) top Dallas in scoring with 17 points each.
Inland Empire Blues
The Sockers dropped a 7-3 decision to the Ontario Fury on Monday afternoon at Toyota Arena in Ontario, dropping San Diego to a 5-4 road record for the season. The Fury snapped a ten-match losing streak to the Sockers with the result, moving Ontario into the fourth playoff position in the Western Conference.
Ooh-bee-pear-uh-povich
Slavisa Ubiparipovic led the Sockers against Ontario with a goal and an assist. Ubiparipovic ranks second on the club in goals (14) and points (22), trailing team captain Kraig Chiles in each category. A free agent acquisition from Utica, "Slav" has registered at least one point in 14 of 18 matches.
Sockers Sore or Sidelined
Midfielder Brandon Escoto is not making the trip to Texas, and is thus scheduled to miss his first game as a San Diego Socker since being acquired in 2016. Escoto has scored (70-57=127) points in 83 regular season games with the Sockers. In addition, defender Cesar Cerda (leg) and midfielder Hiram Ruiz (leg) are questionable for Sunday's match. Goalkeeper Diego Arriaga, defender Emmanuel Aguirre and midfielder/defender Luis Piffer are all inactive due to U.S. visa issues.
Rolling Ten Deep
With an assist in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Ontario Fury, veteran forward Eduardo Velez became the ninth Socker this season to record at least ten points. Velez has four goals and six assists on the season. Taylor Bond is two points away from becoming the tenth Socker in double digits.
Power Play Unplugged
The Sockers have slumped to a .235 conversion percentage on the power play (8-for-34), ranked 15th in the MASL, ahead of only Turlock (.200) and Mesquite (.143). The San Diego penalty kill is also in a slump, down to a .484 kill rate (16-for-31), which ranks 14th in the 17-team league.
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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 22, 2020
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- Lancers Fall to Blast in Overtime - Rochester Lancers
- SeaWolves Comeback Falls Just Short in Harrisburg - Orlando SeaWolves
- Record Crowd Sees Tropics Hold off Sonora, 8-6; Guilherme, Gonzaga, Tavernese Get Two Each - Florida Tropics SC
- San Diego Sockers Match Notes vs. Dallas - San Diego Sockers
- Game Notes Sidekicks vs. San Diego - Dallas Sidekicks
- Ontario Fury Road Trip Continues in Kansas City - Ontario Fury
- Ambush Fail to Fight off the Fury - Ontario Fury
- Mesquite Outlaws Redeem Themselves against San Diego 5-3 - Mesquite Outlaws
- Lancers Hosts Blast in the Middle of a Three-Game Weekend for Both Teams - Rochester Lancers
- Cal Express Defeat the Sidekicks - Turlock Cal Express
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