March 9, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – San Diego Sockers News Release
ONTARIO, CA–Christian “Golden” Gutierrez scored the match winning golden goal 23 seconds into overtime, as the San Diego Sockers recovered from a fourth quarter collapse in Ontario, beating the Empire Strykers 8-7 on Thursday night at Toyota Arena. The Sockers (16-2, 46 points) had blown a 7-3 lead in the fourth quarter before nicking the winner in overtime.
Gutierrez earned his nickname “Golden” for a series of playoff overtime game winners, beginning with back-to-back golden goals in the 2021 Ron Newman Cup playoffs, played in Ontario. Returning to the scene of his previous exploits, Gutierrez mined some more gold out of what otherwise looked like a yawning chasm of collapse. Winning possession out of the defensive zone, rookie midfielder Luis Perez sent a perfect pass up the left wall, sending Gutierrez in on net. His initial shot hit high off the frame, carrying Gutierrez into the corner, but defender Juan Manuel Rojo recovered the ball and fed Christian running back into the crease, who slotted home his seventeenth goal of the season.
Despite the victory, which narrowed the Sockers’ magic number to clinch the MASL Shield to seven points, the mood in the locker room was more of a losing side than a winner. San Diego had largely controlled the match through 48 minutes, only to see Empire score the final four goals of the fourth quarter, including an equalizer with 1:43 left on a defensive giveaway.
“That was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster,” said team captain Kraig Chiles, who had a goal and assist in the victory, “We weren’t good enough in the fourth quarter again, and we need to put our thumb on that in the next couple weeks and make sure we get it right.”
The Strykers (12-5-2, 36 points) stole a point thanks to the heroics of rookie midfielder Gabriel Costa, who produced a six-point game with three goals and three assists. Fellow midfielder Maicon de Abreu had points on three straight fourth quarter goals, scoring the last two to tie the score at 7-7.
An intensely physical match saw the Sockers on the receiving end of multiple blows to the head, including a kick to the throat on Leonardo de Oliveira by Empire defender Robert Palmer, and a post-match headbutt by de Abreu on San Diego forward Tavoy Morgan that forced both clubs to be separated on the floor after the final goal.
“I think we were hard done again,” said a frustrated Chiles afterwards, “It is…