Sports stats



MASL Major Arena Soccer League

Sockers Open Their Playoff Run Tonight in Mesquite

April 7, 2023 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) News Release


SAN DIEGO, CA.- The San Diego Sockers-presented by Kaiser Permanente San Diego-open the Ron Newman Cup playoffs with a MASL Western Conference Semifinal matchup against the Mesquite Outlaws Friday evening from the Mesquite Arena. The match is scheduled for a 5:05 pm PDT kickoff, and will be streamed live on Twitch on channel www.twitch.tv/masl_soccer.

The Ron Newman Cup Playoffs consist of three rounds in two divisions, with each round a best-of-three series. In the Conference Semifinals, the top seeds play the winner of each division's respective Play-In Game, while the second and third seeds square off against one another. The Outlaws defeated the Tacoma Stars 9-6 on Wednesday in Tacoma to win the Western Play-in Game. Each individual round consists of two full matches, one in each venue. After the second match, if the series is tied 1-1 the two teams play a 15-minute Knockout Game immediately afterward to determine the series winner.

The Sockers (22-2, 62 points) finished the regular season with ten straight wins, earning the MASLSupporters Shield, awarded to the club with the best regular season record in the league. The only 20+win team in the league, San Diego will have home-field advantage throughout the Ron Newman Cup playoffs. The Sockers won five more matches than the second-best club (Chihuahua, 17-6-1).

The Sockers and Mesquite Outlaws are meeting in the playoffs for the first time. During the regular season, home field held sway over the head-to-head series, with San Diego winning twice at Pechanga Arena, and Mesquite holding serve at Mesquite Arena. The Sockers prevailed over the Outlaws by scores of 5-4 on December 18 and 7-2 on February 3. On February 18 in Mesquite, the Outlaws returned the favor with a 6-5 win. The series turned intense with post-match arguments after the December 18 and February 18 results. San Diego is 3-2 all-time against Mesquite, 3-0 at home, and 0-2 in Texas.

San Diego ended the regular season on a roll, posting ten consecutive victories. In the final weekend of the season, the Sockers beat Milwaukee 11-5 and Tacoma 5-4 (OT). The Sockers went a perfect 12-0 at home and 10-2 on the road. The club has won 22 straight at home dating back to January 8, 2022. Kraig Chiles led the club in scoring with (21-20=41) points. Tavoy Morgan led the club in goals with 24. Boris Pardo led the MASL in wins (21) and goals-against average (3.80).

Mesquite (12-9-3, 37 points) appeared to be stumbling out of the playoffs, suffering five straight losses entering the season's final weekend. The Outlaws picked up a critical point on the road in Chihuahua in their fifth loss, a 10-9 overtime defeat, and then rallied to beat Empire 7-2 at home to punch their play-in ticket. Mesquite then traveled to Tacoma and upset the Stars 9-6 on Wednesday, earning their playoff stripes. The Outlaws have scored 124 goals and allowed 147. Mesquite is 8-3-1 at home, and 5-6-2 on the road (counting playoffs). Forward Luiz Morales is a dangerous shooter with both feet, scoring 23 goals in 19 matches. He erupted for two goals and two assists in the Play-in Game win. Midfielder Sebastien Mendez led the Outlaws in scoring with (27-14=41) points. Goalkeeper Eduardo"Pollo" Cortes started 23 games for Mesquite, going 10-9-3 with a 5.73 GAA and .670 SV%.

Check out the Major Arena Soccer League Statistics



Major Arena Soccer League Stories from April 7, 2023


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central