Sockers Travel to Tacoma for Two Matches
February 9, 2022 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers-presented by Kaiser Permanente San Diego-travel to the Pacific Northwest for the second and final time this regular season, battling the Tacoma Stars in back-to-back matches at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. Friday's match is scheduled for a 7:35pm kickoff, with Saturday's tilt set for 7:05pm. Both matches will be broadcast free and live on MASL TV on YouTube.
This weekend will see the fourth and fifth of six scheduled meetings between the Sockers and Stars. San Diego is 3-0 so far, opening the season with a 10-7 win in Tacoma on December 11, continuing the trend with a 9-3 victory on January 28, then hanging on for a 4-3 overtime victory on February 6. The clubs will face each other a final time on March 20 in San Diego.
The Sockers (10-0-1, 27 points) are on a seven-match winning streak and enter the weekend tied with Kansas City for second overall in the MASL points standings, three behind the league-leading Florida Tropics. Having recently concluded a stretch of five matches in ten days, San Diego begins a flurry of three road matches in five days, facing Tacoma on consecutive nights in Washington Friday and Saturday, and Ontario on December 15.
Last week, San Diego spent the week recovering from their heavy workload of five matches in ten days, then attempted to recover their sharpness during a sluggish affair against Tacoma at home. After building a 2-0 lead early in the second quarter, the Sockers saw the Stars control the tempo of the match, crawling back in it with single goals across two quarters. Kraig Chiles (two goals) put San Diego back on top 3-2 in third, only to see Logan Jones equalize ten seconds into the fourth. The match went to overtime, where Brandon Escoto finished a beautiful individual run with a slashing goal inside the right post, as the Sockers improved to 4-1 in overtime matches with a 4-3 win.
The Sockers put a perfect road record on the line over the weekend, as San Diego has started the 2021-22 campaign with a 5-0 mark away from home. The season began with a 10-7 win in Tacoma, and has included a pair of wins in Ontario and Chihuahua, including three overtime road victories. The 2018-19 MASL season saw San Diego set the league record with a 12-0 record away from home.
Tacoma (3-6-1, 9 points) played the Sockers nip-and-tuck last weekend, only to succumb to Ontario the next day by an 8-2 score, in which the Fury scored seven second-quarter goals. The Stars find themselves three points behind the Milwaukee Wave for the eighth and final playoff spot in the MASL, having just concluded a 1-3-1 road swing. When keeper Danny Waltman is on his game, the Stars remain a dangerous out. The 40-year-old keeper sports a 6.80 GAA and .635 SV%, but rose up to stop 16-of-20 shots in the last San Diego-Tacoma matchup. Veterans Nick Perera (13-11=24 points) and Alessandro Canale (10-3=13 points) pace an offense that is adjusting to life without several familiar faces, including midfield brothers Jamael and Raphael Cox.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 9, 2022
- Sockers Travel to Tacoma for Two Matches - San Diego Sockers
- Fury to Enclose Field in Plexiglass - Ontario Fury
- Double Header February 12th - Tacoma Stars
- Fury Take Monday Night Football Matchup with Tacoma - Ontario Fury
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