December 17, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) News Release
ALLEN, TX – Facing a daunting weekend back-to-back, the San Diego Sockers did just enough to secure the first leg, edging the Dallas Sidekicks 8-7 on Saturday night at the Credit Union Event Center in Allen, Texas. Tavoy Morgan’s hat trick goal, on Leonardo de Oliveira’s third assist of the match, broke a 7-7 tie at 8:15 of the fourth quarter.
The Sockers (3-0, 9 points) saw Brandon Escoto net a hat trick, now leading the team with six goals in three matches. Drew Ruggles scored his first goal as a Socker to break a 6-6 fourth-quarter tie, and Charlie Gonzalez added a goal and two assists.
The winning goal came out of Leonardo de Oliveira’s ability to hold off multiple defenders and draw attention. He worked out of a double-team in the offensive right corner, drew out the Dallas keeper Juan Gamboa, and then feathered a pass around Gamboa to Morgan, who was all alone in front of the net for a slam dunk goal. San Diego weathered 2:21 of sixth-attackers offense from the Sidekicks down the stretch, with the outcome in doubt all the way to the final whistle.
San Diego played for a second straight match without captain Kraig Chiles, who was off the trip, held back for Sunday’s home match against Empire. Missing top defender Mitchell Cardenas, the defense wobbled for a third straight match, keeping a game Dallas side in the match all the way. Blaz Pérez, Flavio Guzmán, and Renato Torquato each netted braces for the Sidekicks (1-3).
The Sockers took an early 1-0 lead on Charlie Gonzalez’s goal at 6:30 of the first quarter and held the Sidekicks scoreless through the frame. San Diego’s defense allowed multiple goals each quarter the rest of the way, turning the match into a tense battle. Jamie Lovegrove and Flavio Guzmán scored at 0:18 and 6:13 of the second quarter to take a 2-1 lead.
San Diego answered back with three straight goals to finish out the half, two from Escoto sandwiching Morgan’s first of the night. First, Escoto zig-zagged on the ball after a forward pass from Christian Gutierrez, freeing himself with dazzling footwork from a double-team to score on Dallas keeper Juan Gamboa (17 saves) for a 2-2 tie.
Morgan netted a top-arc goal, finishing the rebound of Gabriel Costa’s shot for a 3-2 lead at 9:17. Escoto was set up for a point-blank shot on the far post from another Costa pass at 12:38 for a 4-2 lead, which the Sockers held into the half. It would turn out to be their only…