Sockers Reach .500 Mark

January 14, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
San Diego Sockers News Release


The San Diego Sockers hit the midpoint of the 2003-04 MISL season with a record of 9-9. The first 18 games of the season proved to be a learning experience for many of the new faces on the team, as well as a series of momentum changes. The Sockers stumbled into the season, losing their first four games, which included three on their home turf. On November 6, 2003 the Sockers earned their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Western Division rivals, the Dallas Sidekicks. The win sparked the San Diego offense and led the Sockers to eight victories in their next ten matches. The strong surge came to an end with the Sockers losing their first two contests of 2004, including a tough 6-5 overtime loss at Milwaukee.

TWO SOCKERS HONORED BY MISL IN DECEMBER
The Major Indoor Soccer League announced that Sockers' goalkeeper Victor Nogueira and defender Sean Bowers were named MISL Players of the Month for December at their respective positions. The ageless Nogueira led all MISL goalkeepers with five wins in December, posting a 4.55 goals against average and .710 save percentage. After losing his first start of the month, Nogueira presided over five straight victories as San Diego came to life and surged towards the top of the Western Division standings. The native of Mozambique was at his best in the Sockers' 8-1 win over St. Louis on December 14, as he saved 11 of 12 shots and did not allow a goal for the first 52 minutes of the game. In addition, Nogueira was named the MISL's Goalkeeper of the Week on November 10, December 1, and December 15.

Bowers posted an outstanding December, helping the Sockers to a 5-1 record during the month. In six games, the 35-year-old backliner scored seven points (goal, six assists) and led the League with 29 blocks. Bowers was also named Defensive Player of the Week on December 15, his second such award of the season (November 10 was the first). The San Diego native has now scored seven goals and 18 points on the season and leads the League with 53 blocks. During the course of his distinguished career, Bowers has won three Defender of the Year Awards (the most recent in 2001-02), been named to six All-League teams, and been voted to six All-Star teams. The 1991-92 Rookie of the Year achieved his most significant milestone to date on December 28, when he became the first player in indoor soccer history to score 800 points and block 800 shots for his career.

SAN DIEGO VISITS CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
The Sockers begin the second half of the MISL season by paying their first visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to face the KiXX. This will be the first trip to Philly, although the clubs have split two games this season at the San Diego Sports Arena. The KiXX dealt San Diego a 5-2 loss on the opening night of the season, but San Diego took some revenge in their 3-2 win on November 29.

Catch all the action LIVE on www.worldtalkradio.com at 4 p.m. or on a delayed basis on ESPN Radio 800 beginning at 9 p.m.

2004 ALL-STAR GAME IN ST. LOUIS
The MISL has announced that the 2004 All-Star Weekend will be in St. Louis, Mo. The game itself will feature a different format than that of years past. With the three division alignment in the league, the format will be United States based players against international players. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to contribute to the starting line up of each team. Once the 16 players for each side are announced, there will be a webpage devoted to letting fans pick the players they believe should be in the starting line up. So keep those eyes open for the chance to vote your favorite MISL stars into the starting line up of the 2004 MISL All-Star Game.

NEXT HOME GAME: JANUARY 23RD VS THE KANSAS CITY COMETS @ 7 P.M.
The Sockers return home to the San Diego Sports Arena on January 23, 2004 to take on two-time league MVP Dino Delevski and the Kansas City Comets at 7 p.m. The game will also feature the Sockers first Bobble Head giveaway. The first 4,000 fans at the Sports Arena will receive a Victor Nogueira Bobble Head courtesy of Sleep Therapy. This is the second meeting between the Comets and Sockers, with San Diego winning the November 9 game, 6-3.

The game will air live on www.worldtalkradio.com and ESPN Radio 800.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 14, 2004


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