February 29, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – San Diego Sockers News Release
The San Diego Sockers-presented by Kaiser Permanente San Diego-continue a four-match homestand, looking to regain their footing as they take on the Empire Strykers Friday night at Pechanga Arena San Diego. The match is set for a 7:35pm kickoff, and will be streamed live on Twtich channel @masl_soccer, simulcast in Spanish on canela.tv.
The Sockers (14-3, 40 points) owners of the best record in MASL history all-time at 163-34-5, hold an eleven-point lead over the second-place Chihuahua Savage coming into action this weekend. The Savage hold two matches in hand (15 played to 17 for San Diego), and will take on the Sockers Sunday at Pechanga Arena. After winning the first two MASL Supporters Shields, San Diego is now twelve points behind the 18-0 Monterrey Flash, who are leading the Eastern Conference. The Sockers are 59-5-1 over their last 65 matches.
This is the fourth of six meetings between the Sockers and Strykers, who will meet once again on March 10 and March 17 (in Ontario) to wrap up the season series. San Diego is 3-0 against Em-pire, although the matches have been getting closer all season. The Sockers won 7-3 on Decem-ber 17, 8-5 in Ontario on January 17, and 9-8 (OT shootout) in Ontario on February 18. In the all-time series, San Diego is 34-9 against the Ontario Fury/Empire Strykers franchise.
Coming off a week of rest and rehab after winning three matches in six days the week prior, the Sockers walked into Pechanga Arena a much healthier team last Sunday. They left still with their legs intact, but their pride wounded. The club suffered the worst regular season home loss in franchise history, a 9-4 decision at the hands of the Kansas City Comets. Kansas City broke open a 1-1 tie at halftime, scoring five goals in the third quarter to build aa 6-3 lead. San Diego had a chance to get back in the match with back-to-back penalty kicks in the fourth quarter, but the club went 1-for-2, and the Comets poured two goals into an empty net to seal the result. Ta-voy Morgan and Kraig Chiles each scored two goals in the losing effort for the Sockers. Chiles earned his 700th career point and 475th career goal.
Empire (3-13-1, 9 points) has experienced the bitter taste of close defeat at home in their last two matches, dropping a 9-8 shootout decision to San Diego on February 18, and a 4-3 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday night. Empire scored on an Alan Perez…