San Diego Sockers Take On Kansas City Comets This Saturday
October 30, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
San Diego Sockers News Release
Sockers Try to Improve on 1-3 Home Record The Sockers will attempt to pick up the pace on offense after losing their third home game in four Sports Arena dates to Cleveland last weekend. Despite a 14-10 victory in Kansas City on Oct. 19, the Sockers were blanked in the first half of that contest and scored just two points (on a Chile Farias penalty kick) in the first half of their 15- 4 loss to Cleveland.Overall, the Sockers are last in the eight-team MISL with a 7.3 points-per-game average. They're averaging just 3.2 points in the first half and their 20 goals in six games is exactly half the number the 2001 team scored in its first six games of WISL play last fall (in fashioning a 5-1 record).
About The Comets
Tonight's game marks the second time that these teams have faced each other this season. On Saturday, Oct. 19 in Kansas City, the Sockers scored all their points in the second half, including 10 by Chile Farias, to come from behind and beat the Comets 14-10. The Sockers lead the overall series against the Comets, dating back to the early â80s in the old MISL, 33-17.
Last Week: Cleveland 15, Sockers 4
The Force jumped to a 6-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game Friday night and added a pair of goals against a sixth attacker in the closing minutes to ease by the Sockers 15-4 in MISL action at the Sports Arena in front of a crowd of 4,407. Cleveland midfielder John Ball collected a hat trick, including both sixth-attacker scores and an assist, to total eight points on the night. Force goalkeeper Jim Larkin faced 22 shots and had 20 saves with a sterling performance in the nets. Cleveland improves to 3-2 while the Sockers fall to 2-4.
After Cleveland extended its lead to 8-0 early in the second quarter, Chile Farias converted a penalty kick at 7:15 of the second to get the Sockers on the board. But MISL all-time scoring leader Hector Marinaro put home a two-pointer with 1:09 remaining to give Cleveland a 10-2 halftime advantage. With the goal, Marinaro extended his consecutive-game scoring streak to 47. After a scoreless third period, Matt Johnson gave the Sockers hope with a goal off an assist from Alejandro Cardenas to make the score 10-4, but Ball scored twice within 22 seconds, including a three-pointer from long range, after Sockers coach Ralf Wilhelms pulled goalkeeper Dezso Horvath for a sixth attacker. Wilhelms handled the head-coaching duties for Brian Quinn, who received a red card in Kansas City Oct. 19 and had to sit out a game. Horvath had 10 saves while facing 15 shots in goal for the Sockers.
Farias Keeps Scoring Streak Going
Chile Farias fell from first to third this week on the MISL's list of leading scorers. His 19 points trail only Joe Reiniger of Milwaukee (22) and former Socker Paul Wright of Baltimore (20). Greg Howes of Milwaukee is fourth with 18 points and Kansas City's Nate Houser next with 17. Farias also is tied for the three-point goal lead in the MISL with the two he scored against Kansas City. Only Reiniger and Philadelphia's Gary DePalma have matched his two. Chile also has five assists, one behind three other players for the league lead in that department.
Pernia Still Among the League's Block Leaders
Defender Gaston Pernia has blocked 16 opponent shots, just one behind the MISL lead. Baltimore's Jason Dieter has turned away 17. Pernia led the Sockers and the entire World Indoor Soccer League in blocks last season when he recorded 53 in 23 games.
Vorberg Just Behind Nogueira in Points-Against Average
Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg picked up the win in Kansas City with 11 saves against 16 shots faced in his last action on Oct. 19. He remains near the top among MISL netminders with a 7.95 points-against average, just behind Milwaukee's Victor Nogueira (7.88). Nick also has a .769 save percentage, fourth overall in the league in a tightly bunched race led by Harrisburg's Doug Petras at .797.
Look for a Low-Scoring First Half
The two teams meeting at the Sports Arena this weekend have been slow starters, scoring only a combined 35 points in the first half, as opposed to 67 in the second. Kansas City has just eight first-quarter and eight second-quarter points, while the Sockers have eight in the first and 11 in the second period. San Diego, at 2-4, has played one more game than the 1-4 Comets. The Sockers are eighth and last in poitnts per game with 7.3, while the Comets rank fourth at 10.6. As far as points allowed are concerned, the Sockers are giving up 10.8 per contest (fifth in the MISL) while Kansas City is last at 16.4 points a game given up.
Hit the Road, Socks
After tonight's home date with Kansas City, the Sockers will have played five of their first seven games in the friendly confines of the Sports Arena. But from Nov. 9 through Dec. 1, the Socks are on the road for six of seven games, including a stretch of five straight games that will take them to Milwaukee, Philadelphia (twice), Baltimore and Harrisburg. As the only MISL team in either the Mountain or Pacific time zones, the Sockers are about a thee-hour plane ride from even their nearest competition and will log more air miles to the East Coast than even the California NBA and NHL teams, who don't face Eastern competition as often in their unbalanced schedules. After tonight, the Sockers do not play anoher Saturday night home game until Dec. 21 when they host Baltimore. Next weekend the Sockers and Dallas meet in a rare home-and-home matchup on Saturday and Sunday.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from October 30, 2002
- Sidekicks at Harrisburg Saturday - Dallas Sidekicks
- San Diego Sockers Take On Kansas City Comets This Saturday - San Diego Sockers
- Force to Face Undefeated Wave - Cleveland Force
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