MASL San Diego Sockers

Sockers Prepared for Motivated Stars

Published on February 10, 2023 under Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release


The San Diego Sockers--presented by Kaiser Permanente San Diego--continue a six-match road trip as they make their only trip this season to the Pacific Northwest, taking on the Tacoma Stars on Saturday night. The match will kick off from accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington at 7:05pm PST, streaming live on Twitch on channel @masl_soccer.

This is the first of only two meetings between the Sockers and Stars this season. Franchises that date back to the MISL in the 1980s, the Sockers own an all-time regular season record of 70-22 against Tacoma. Last year San Diego went 6-0 against the Stars, and have won eight straight against Tacoma overall, dating back to the 2021 Ron Newman Cup playoffs.

San Diego (10-1, 29 points) was rolling into their six-match road trip with a series of winning streaks, all of which were rubbed out by Empire's 10-4 win over the Sockers to begin the trip on Wednesday. The club had won a MASL-record 30 straight regular season matches, 17 in a row on the road and 14 in a row overall (dating back to the playoffs). In addition, the club's all-time point streak was set at 51, with the Sockers losing in regulation for the first time in 52 matches (47-1-4).

The MASL Western Conference is proving to be massively competitive, with six clubs all vying for five playoff berths. San Diego enters the weekend tied for first place with Empire, with Chihuahua and Mesquite right behind at 24 points. The Sockers have five fewer matches played than the Strykers and one fewer than Mesquite. The MASL points champion at the end of the season receives the MASL Supporters Shield, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

On Wednesday night, the Sockers were shocked by the Strykers in a match dominated by the hosts from the Inland Empire. San Diego fell behind 7-1 before turning to a full-time sixth attacker, which elevated the final score to 10-4 with empty net goals. Franck Tayou had his best performance as a Fury/Stryker against San Diego, netting four goals with four assists for an eight-point game. Leonardo de Oliveira scored two goals for the Sockers, who suffered their second-worst statistical loss in MASL history.

Tacoma (5-5, 15 points) began the season with a 4-1 record before losing four matches in a row. The Stars rebounded last weekend for a 6-4 home win over Monterrey. With only ten matches played, the Stars have more than enough available standings points remaining to make a run at a playoff berth. Tacoma averages 5.9 goals-per-match and concedes 5.7 goals-per-match. Nick Perera is in his familiar position atop the Stars' scoring leaders with (11-8=19) points in nine matches played. Micheal Ramos and Jamael "Juice" Cox are tied for second on the club with seven goals scored. Danny Waltman has started all ten matches in net for Tacoma, posting a 5.65 GAA and .682 SV% on 116 saves.

Storylines

Matches Since Last Loss: 0

Wednesday's loss hit reset for the San Diego Sockers on five different winning streaks. The club had won ten in a row to start the season, and fourteen straight in all competitions. The Sockers' 17-match road winning streak was erased, as was the team's MASL-record 30-match regular season winning streak. Lastly, the Sockers had not lost in regulation since March 13, 2021, also to the Fury/Strykers at Ontario Arena, a 6-4 result. As such, the team's 47-0-4 "point streak" came to an end. San Diego still has a 16-match home winning streak to defend when they return to Pechanga Arena in March.

It Doesn't Happen Often

When the San Diego Sockers drop a match, it's usually by one or two goals. A six-goal loss registers as historic in the PASL/MASL era of the Sockers. Here are the worst losses in modern Sockers history:

Date Vs. Score

11/7/2015 At Sonora 15-8

2/28/2023 At Empire 10-6

2/25/2017 At Sonora 9-3

12/28/14 At St. Louis 8-3

Mr. 100: Boris Pardo Sets MASL Milestone and Keeps Going

The defending MASL Elite VI goalkeeper and MASL Goalkeeper of the Year, 38-year-old Boris Pardo has maintained his all-league form in 2022-23. Pardo is 10-0 in ten starts, having played all but 44 minutes total in net this season. He leads the MASL in wins (10), GAA (3.37) and ranks fifth in SV% (.738). All-time in MASL history, Pardo improved his career record to 101-23-7, two wins ahead of second-place William Vanzela. Pardo is the first MASL goalkeeper to reach the 100-win plateau. Last season, Pardo led the MASL in wins (19-0-1 record) and goals-against average (4.20 GAA), while his .731 save percentage was second in the league. Pardo was even better in the playoffs, starting all seven matches and posting a 6-0-1 record, 3.36 GAA and .767 SV%. In 2018-19, Pardo won his first Goalkeeper of the Year award, winning a league-record 22 games in net (22-1 record).

Dominant Defense Dented

In the first ten matches of the 2022-23 campaign, the defense allowed 31 goals (3.10 per match). The 10-4 loss to Empire increased San Diego's total goals allowed by almost 25%. Sockers defenders have combined to deny more shots than any other club in the MASL, helping San Diego out-shoot their opponents 317-205 (61-39%). The Sockers have allowed 20 shots or fewer in eight of eleven this season. In 2021-22, the Sockers were the only MASL club to allow fewer than 100 goals in the regular season, conceding 98, an average of 4.08 goals per match.

Our Leader? Balance.

The Sockers are a club without a singular focus of attack, instead able to beat you across all three lines. San Diego averages 6.5 goals per match, second only to Chihuahua (8.0), and the Savage benefit from a small-sided home floor where their goals average soars to 9.4-per-match. Empire leads the MASL with 103 goals, but with 16 matches complete, they average 6.4 goals-per-match. The Sockers sport seven players with 10+ points on the season, and nine players averaging 0.6 points-per-match or better.

Charlie Golazo Breaks Out

Midfielder Juan Carlos "Charlie" Gonzalez led the Sockers attack on January 29 against Chihuahua, netting a first-half hat trick, then paced the club with a goal and two assists against Mesquite on February 3. Breaking out after a slow start to the season, Charlie now has seven goals in his last four matches. Gonzalez ranks tied for second in goals (10) and is third in points (16) on the club. Last season in his first campaign with the Sockers, Charlie set a career high with 39 points (23 goals, 16 assists) in 21 matches played.

Leo the Pass Master

Brazilian midfielder Leonardo de Oliveira led the MASL with 33 assists last season, earning the league's first-ever "Pass Master" award. Leo's total was six higher than second-place finisher Nick Perera. Combined with 13 goals on the season, de Oliveira's 46 points scored ranked tied for fifth in the league. Leo added his 100th career MASL goal during the season, and has 111 goals and 253 points in his indoor career, an average of 1.90 points-per-match. His 142 career assists are the fourth-most in MASL history, trailing first-place Leo Gibson by 72 (214), but second-place Nick Perera/Max Ferdinand by only 32 (174). Leo picked up a season-high three assists against Kansas City, and leads the club with twelve assists, one off the league lead (Mohamed Ndiaye, 13).

Chiles Returns to Form

Sockers captain Kraig Chiles is the franchise's all-time leader in goals (445) and points (645), and is on the long approach to 400 points in the MASL (242-124=366 career, fourth-most). It's unusual to see Chiles shut out, but after being held scoreless in his season debut on December 11, Kraig roared back with a hat trick and assist on December 18 against Mesquite. Similarly in Harrisburg, Chiles was shut out on Saturday night and came back with his top-scoring match of the season, netting two goals with three assists. Chiles had a goal and assist in the Sockers' last win over Mesquite, but was shut out while playing sick in Ontario. He is tied with Brandon Escoto for the club lead with two game-winning goals in eight matches played.

Golden Gutierrez

Sockers forward Christian Gutierrez has emerged over the past three seasons as one of the preeminent two-way forwards in the MASL. In addition to being tasked with patrolling the defensive side of the floor, Gutierrez is a potent counter-attack striker who often opens up matches late in the fourth quarter. Case in point: against the Savage on January 29, Gutierrez teamed with Brandon Escoto for a counter-attack and the game-winning goal at 2:51 of the fourth quarter. On the season, Gutierrez is second on the club with ten goals and is T-5th in scoring with twelve points.

Electric EscotoSockers midfielder and Tijuana native Brandon Escoto powered the Sockers to victory against Chihuahua, helping break a 4-4 tie in the fourth quarter with the go-ahead assist and then clinching goal. "Churras" had missed the club's previous two matches due to illness, but has at least one point in all nine matches he has played this season. A prolific and dangerous scorer, Brandon has (7-6=13) points in nine matches played. In his career, Escoto averages almost a goal-per-match, with 134 goals scored in 129 matches played. Escoto was one of the most balanced attackers in the MASL in 2021-22, finishing in the MASL's top-10 in both goals and assists with (21-23=44) points, good for T-7th in the league. Escoto added five goals and three assists in the playoffs, including the go-ahead goal in Game One of the Ron Newman Cup Finals. Escoto scored two goals in the Game Two Finals clincher.

Bull Roars on the Road

Coming off a career-best 39 goal/49 point season, forward Tavoy Morgan is once again leading the Sockers in goals (12) and points (17). Against Empire, Morgan was shut out on the road for the first time this season, netting only a single assist. In four previous road matches, Morgan had ten goals, including three hat tricks. At home, Tavoy has been held to two goals and three assists in six matches. Morgan scored four goals when the Sockers swept a pair from Harrisburg on January 21-22.

Power Play Plugged Back In

The Sockers are surging after a slow start on the power play, with goals in 9-of-13 recent man-advantages. The improvement has moved San Diego up to second in the conference and fourth in the MASL in conversion percentage (12-for-27, 44%). The Sockers are second in the MASL with twelve power play goals, one behind Mesquite. San Diego's penalty kill is 13-for-17 at preventing goals (77%), best in the West and second only to Florida (18-for-22, 82%) in the league. The Sockers are tied for the MASL lead with two short-handed goals. Last year, San Diego led the MASL in both power play efficiency (27-for-45, 60%) and penalty killing efficiency (16-for-22, 73%) during the 2021-22 season. Tavoy Morgan led the MASL with nine power play goals and the club set an all-time franchise record with a six-for-six power play performance on February 12 against the Tacoma Stars. In 2022-23, Morgan and Chiles are tied with three power play goals apiece.

Mostly Healthy

Midfielder Hiram "Pollo" Ruiz has been dogged by lower body injuries and is not on the Tacoma trip. Midfielders Brian Farber and Sean Callahan have returned to health and full practice, and are now coaching decisions as to when to join the lineup. Ismael Rojo, who was unable to dress the last three seasons due to P-1 visa issues, has started the last four of the last five matches for San Diego but is not on the travel roster to Tacoma.

Player Highlights

Cesar Cerda

Top-scoring defender has (4-6=10) points, is tied for team lead with 12 blocks

Leonardo de Oliveira

Moved into a tie for the team lead with (6-12=18) points

Brian Farber

Has three goals in his two starts this season, expected to play vs Tacoma

Check out the San Diego Sockers Statistics

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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 10, 2023


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