March 25, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – San Diego Sockers News Release
SAN DIEGO – Tavoy Morgan scored his second goal of the match 6:58 into golden goal overtime, as the San Diego Sockers overcame a late deficit to beat the Empire Strykers 5-4 on Friday night at Pechanga Arena. Christian Gutierrez netted an equalizing goal with 16.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force extra time, and Morgan’s brace sent the Sockers to their 20th straight win at home.
With two late goals and over 60 minutes of hard work, the Sockers (19-2, 54 points) made sure their home field remained a fortress heading into the Ron Newman Cup playoffs, pulling a win out of a performance that was playoff-worthy from both teams. San Diego improved to 10-0 at home this season while winning their 20th regular season home match, a streak that dates back to January of 2022.
“I just wanted to stay close to the goal in case the ball came to me, and it happened,” said Morgan, who netted his 19th and 20th goals of the season.
The golden goal would never have happened without the efforts of the Sockers’ desperate attack, which was playing without key midfielders Charlie Gonzalez (injury) and Brandon Escoto (one-match suspension). San Diego pulled starting keeper Boris Pardo and went to six attackers with a 3:46 left in the match, but struggled to find the equalizer against a set of Empire defenders who stayed on the floor for minutes in an attempt to see out the win.
With thirty seconds remaining, the Sockers were forced to chase down a clearance deep in their zone from Ontario defender Robert Palmer, far from goal. As San Diego pushed the ball back upfield, Palmer turned on another loose touch and attempted one more clearance to seal the match. Instead, the ball sailed into the benches for a delay of game, and the Sockers gained a top-arc free kick.
After a timeout, captain Kraig Chiles sent a pass to Leonardo de Oliveira on right wing. Leo’s initial shot was blocked, but he recovered and fired a second chance volley that caromed off the glass to left wing, where Christian “Golden” Gutierrez was waiting for a fearsome half-volley with the right foot into the back of the net. It was Gutierrez’s team-leading 22nd goal, of which 16 have come either in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Empire (12-7-3, 37 points) finished the season series 1-2-3 against the Sockers, dropping three different matches in golden goal overtime. The point secured allowed the Strykers to solidify their…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Indoor Soccer News…