Sockers Take On Comets Tonight
February 28, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers have their sights set on heading into the All-Star break on a two-game winning streak with back-to-back games against the Kansas City Comets and the Philadelphia Kixx. The Sockers are four games behind the Comets for second place in the Western Conference while they sit four games ahead of the Dallas Sidekicks for the third and final playoff spot.
The Opponent
The Kansas City Comets bring a 15-14 record into tonight's game against the Sockers. They are eight and a half games behind the Milwaukee Wave for first place in the Western Conference. The Sockers hold a three games to two advantage over the Comets in the season series. In their most recent meeting, the Sockers defeated the Comets 16-14 on the second game of a back-to-back in Kansas City. The Comets are led by reigning Major Indoor Soccer League Most Valuable Player Dino Delevski. Delevski leads the MISL with123 points, 19 points ahead of Sockers Carlos "Chile" Farias, who sits in second place.
Next Home Game
San Diego will be back in action tomorrow night, March 1, when it plays host to the Philadelphia Kixx. The game can be heard live on the Internet on http://webcast.sockers.com.
The game against the Kixx is Military Appreciation Night for the Sockers. A pre-game performance by the Navy Band and MCRD color guard will start things off while members of the San Diego SWAT team will repel from the Sports Arena rafters following player introductions. Halftime will consist of a demonstration by the Navy K-9 Unit and presentations to Marine/Sailor of the Quarter and Marine/Sailor of the Year.
Injuries
The Sockers have struggled with injuries all season long, adding Anthony Farace back to the list after reaggravating his hamstring strain.
Matthew Stewart is being added to the IRL with an MCL injury, adding to injury woes for the team. Nate Hetherington will not be playing after a hamstring injury during practice last week.
WISL Rookie of the Year David Beltran has not played this season due to a pelvic strain, while 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.
Mariano Is Back
After battling injury at the beginning of the season, Mariano Bollella is back and in a big way. Bollella has catapulted to second on the team with 55 points, including 20 goals and 14 assists.
Pernia Breaks 100-Block Plateau With Sockers, 200+ In Career
Gaston Pernia is not the guy that opponents like to face. His 72 blocks this year beat his WISL-leading 53 blocks from last season. Pernia currently leads the league and has totaled 125 blocks in his career.
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 57 goals and 44 assists, Farias jumps to 21st place at 101 points. He needs just 8 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 34 points this season, including two 3-pointers and nine 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 25 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 six points in three 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.
Several Sockers Top MISL Leaderboard
Kansas City's Dino Delevski jumped into first place in the Spalding Scoring race with 123 points after a high-point affair last weekend. Chile Farias moves to second with 104 points and holds a 16-point advantage over Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger (88 points). Farias is also tied for third in the MISL with 26 assists and leads the league with 212 total shots.
Fellow teammate, defender Gaston Pernia has blocked 72 opponent shots in 30 games this season, putting him in second place in the MISL. Harrisburg's Genoni Martinez ranks first with 78. Pernia led the Sockers and the World Indoor Soccer League in blocks last season with 53 in 23 games.
Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg holds sixth place on the MISL's leading goalkeeper board with an 11.04 points-against average. Milwaukee's Victor Nogueira leads the list with a 7.65 points-against average.
East Meets West
The Sockers will be glad to return to California and the Western Conference. The team is 3-12 against Eastern Conference teams this season. The three wins in the Eastern Conference were against Baltimore (2) and Philadelphia (1).
Live and On Your Computer
The San Diego Sockers are now available live and on your computer, via the internet. Log onto www.sockers.com for more information. All games are available at webcast.sockers.com.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 28, 2003
- Sidekicks Lose to Philadelphia in Overtime, 13-10 - Dallas Sidekicks
- Force Fall In Baltimore - Cleveland Force
- Sockers Take On Comets Tonight - San Diego Sockers
- Sockers Take On Comets, Free Soccer Balls To First 5,000 Fans - San Diego Sockers
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