MASL San Diego Sockers

Sockers Open Ron Newman Cup Playoffs on Thursday in Tacoma

Published on March 7, 2018 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release


SAN DIEGO - The 14-time indoor and 2017-18 Pacific Division Champion San Diego Sockers open the Ron Newman Cup playoffs on the road on Thursday night against the Tacoma Stars in the best-of-three Divisional Championship Series.

San Diego swept the season series against Tacoma, but do not expect this to be easy. Tacoma has an explosive offense, and if all-star goalkeeper Danny Waltman is on his game, the Sockers could be in for a big challenge.

The Stars are led by former Socker Nick Perera with 36 points on 24 goals and 12 assists. He joined the team mid-season to bolster an attack which features Taylor Walter Bond, Raphael Cox, and Philip Lund. Waltman, a past goalkeeper of the year, finished the campaign with an 11-9-2 record and a 5.88 GAA.

Kraig Chiles ended the season as the team's leader in goals (38), assists (17) and points (55). The ageless wonder topped the league with seven game-winning goals. He was supported by teammates Brandon Escoto (34 points), Luan Oliveira (30), Matt Clare (28) and Erick Tovar (26). San Diego is fully healthy to begin the series, and that makes a big difference for the team.

All of the players stated that their defense is the key to being successful in the playoffs. During the regular season, the Sockers were the only team to allow fewer than 100 goals scored against them (84). The goalkeeping duo of Boris Pardo and Chris Toth, who anchored the backline, were the best in the league. Pardo finished first in the league with a 3.70 GAA, while Toth was in second with a 3.80 GAA. The pair was ranked #2 and #3 in Save Percentage with Toth at .753 and Pardo at .747, just behind Baltimore's William Vanzela at .770%.

The first match of the series will be available to watch on MASL.TV and fans can follow on social media at @SanDiegoSockers. Barrel Republic - Carlsbad, located at 2961 State St., Carlsbad, CA 92008, will be hosting a Watch Party beginning at 7:00 p.m. Supporters wearing Sockers gear will receive 15% off their bill.

Game Two of the series will be played at Valley View Casino Center on Saturday, March 10. 7:05 p.m. If the series is tied, the clubs will compete in a 15-minute Mini-Game ten minutes after the conclusion of Game Two. Playoff tickets are priced at only $20 for reserved seating and $10 for GA opening seating with FREE parking. The first 2,000 Supporters will receive a FREE Playoff Rally Towel. Tickets are available at Sockers.com/Playoff.

HEAD-TO-HEAD - SAN DIEGO 4-0

Home vs. Away Score Date

Tacoma vs San Diego 3 - 10 Feb 9

San Diego vs Tacoma 8 - 3 Jan 12

Tacoma vs San Diego 3 - 4 Dec 1

San Diego vs Tacoma 8 - 3 Nov 12

Check out the San Diego Sockers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major Arena Soccer League Stories from March 7, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central