December 18, 2022 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – San Diego Sockers News Release
Veterans came up clutch down the stretch as the San Diego Sockers edged the Memphis Outlaws 5-4 on Sunday night at Pechanga Arena. Club captain Kraig Chiles netted a hat trick, including a tie-breaking power play goal at 10:33 of the fourth quarter, and Boris Pardo stopped four shots in the final 90 seconds during a furious rally, finishing with ten saves overall.
While the Sockers (3-0, 8 points) emerged victorious, the feeling walking away from this match was that of a new rivalry being born in the MASL Western Conference.
“Yeah, that’s a really good team,” said Chiles, who started the scoring 2:37 into the match and finished it in the final five minutes, “I’m sure they’re going to do some damage, and it’s a lot of young, eager players who want to stamp their name on this league. That’s what makes this league good.”
A stamp of intensity was placed on the match in the final 80 seconds courtesy of two of the older players on the floor, as the 38-year-old Chiles tangled legs with Mesquite captain Pablo de Silva, 42. Both teams scuffled without further incident, and both Chiles and Pablo were shown a blue card for unsportsmanlike conduct, a trade Chiles found fair.
“Honestly, I got caught on the ‘six attacker down’ and needed to get the (heck) off the floor,” said Chiles in the Twitch post-match live interview, “I had a chance to foul him, I took a regular foul and when he was on the floor he kicked out at me. He’s been in the league a long time and knows what he did.”
Chiles’ view from the “sin bin” in the final minute was a welcome one, knowing that Pablo’s expertise in running the six attacker formation was also unplugged.
“It was an exchange of blue cards and at that point in the game honestly, a good exchange,” said Chiles, “He’s critical for them (on six attackers), and I’m of no importance (on six attacker defense). It was good.”
So was a match that builds excitement for two future clashes in the season.
“They should be respected,” said Pardo of the opponent, “They cause chaos, they run, and they’re not afraid.”
It was Sock Toss Night, with fans bringing pairs of new socks to throw on the field after the Sockers scored their first goal of the match, to be donated to San Diego Rescue Mission and Crisis House. The fans didn’t have to wait long to “toss them socks”, as Hiram “Pollo” Ruiz worked a perfect 1-2 with Leonardo de Oliveira to come in on net 1-v-1 against…