Sockers at Dallas Sidekicks
March 22, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The Sockers will make their third and final trip to Dallas this season, when they play the Sidekicks tonight at Reunion Arena. The team is 5-0 against Dallas this season, with a most recent 11-10 win in San Diego on February 1.
The Sockers will return home for a short break, before hitting the road again, this time to Kansas City for the first playoff game on April 2. If the team should happen to win, they will travel to Milwaukee to face the Wave on April 6.
The Opponent
Tatu, Dallas' player/coach will be hanging up his soccer shoes this weekend. After more than 20 years in professional soccer and boasting a career like none other, the time has come. During the 2002-03 season, Tatu is second on the team with 63 points and leads the Sidekicks with 29 assists.
David Doyle leads the scoring brigade for the Kicks with 82 points (6-3PG, 22-2PG, 20A), followed by Tatu (63 points) and Nick Stavrou (59 points). Defensively, the Sidekicks are led by Brad Flanagan with 51 blocks, while Sagu holds a 10.78 average in goal.
Injuries...
The Sockers have struggled with injuries all season long, adding Anthony Farace back to the list after reaggravating his hamstring strain.
Matthew Stewart came off the IRL after more than a month on the list due to a MCL injury. Nate Hetherington will not be playing after a hamstring injury at a practice earlier in the season.
WISL Rookie of the Year David Beltran could see action this game after sitting out the entire season with a pelvic strain. Shawn Beyer has been out more than in this season, the most recent injury a concussion. Shandley Phillips is out for the rest of the season with a broken foot. Seven other players on the San Diego roster have missed at least one game this season due to injury.
Pernia Breaks 100-Block Plateau With Sockers, 200+ In Career
Gaston Pernia is not the guy that opponents like to face. His 79 blocks this year beat his WISL-leading 53 blocks from last season. Pernia currently leads the league and has totaled 132 in his time with the Sockers.
Farias Catapults Up All-Time Scoring List
Chile Farias has been with the Sockers for two years and is already starting to make his way into the teams' record books. With a total of 58 goals and 45 assists, Farias jumps to 21st place at 103 points. He needs just 6 more points to move into the Top 20, with such legends as Cha Cha Namdar (109) and current head coach Brian Quinn (335).
Rookie Rally
The rookies on the already young Sockers team have definitely made an impact this season.
- Robbie Aristodemo is making his bid for Rookie of the Year with 38 points this season, including two 3-pointers and 11 goals. Defensively, Aristodemo has played the sixth attacker in 12 games this season.
- Kevin Sakuda, a fan favorite, has played in every game this season. The defender has blocked 29 shots as a constant force in the defense for the Sockers. He has also racked up seven points, three goals and one assist.
- Mark Ughy, a 6-2, 195 lb. forward from Hungary, has joined the team after having his immigration paperwork cleared. Ughy has totaled 14 points in seven games.
New Additions
Zach Scott, a 5-11, 185 lb., defender played seven games with the Cleveland Force on loan from the Seattle Sounders, before coming to the Sockers. With the Force, Scott totaled one goal and seven blocks. He scored his first goal with the Sockers on March 21 against the Blast.
Several Sockers Top MISL Leaderboard
Kansas City's Dino Delevski holds first place in the Spalding Scoring race with 140 points after a high-point affair last weekend. Chile Farias moves to second with 110 points and holds an eight-point advantage over Milwaukee's Greg Howes (102 points). Farias is also tied for third in the MISL with 27 assists and leads the league with 234 total shots.
Fellow teammate, defender Gaston Pernia has blocked 79 opponent shots in 33 games this season, putting him in second place in the MISL. Harrisburg's Genoni Martinez ranks first with 81. Pernia led the Sockers and the World Indoor Soccer League in blocks last season with 53 in 23 games.
Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg jumps to fourth place on the MISL's leading goalkeeper board with an 10.58 points-against average. Milwaukee's Victor Nogueira leads the list with a 7.68 points-against average.
East Meets West
The team is 4-14 against Eastern Conference teams this season. The three wins in the Eastern Conference were against Baltimore (2) and Philadelphia (1). In contrast, the team is 10-7 against the Western Conference and 5-0 against the Sidekicks this season.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 22, 2003
- Sidekicks Defeat San Diego, 10-2 - Dallas Sidekicks
- Heat Kicks Off Weekend With Victory - Harrisburg Heat
- Force Feels Heat in Crunch Time 18-8 - Cleveland Force
- Sockers at Dallas Sidekicks - San Diego Sockers
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