March 23, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
San Diego Sockers News Release
KANSAS CITY, MO–The San Diego Sockers surrendered six straight goals in the fourth quarter, seeing a potential road win turn into a blowout loss by a 10-6 final margin. The Sockers (18-5, 52 points) led 5-4 after three quarters, only to see the Comets blow through the San Diego defense for three goals in less than five minutes to take control. League-leading goal scorer Zach Reget netted a hat trick to power the Comets (14-6-4, 45 points) to victory.
Kraig Chiles and Brandon Escoto each scored two goals, with Christian Gutierrez and Gabriel Costa adding goals in the losing cause. The Sockers finished their road schedule 10-2, but lost the season series to the Comets 0-2, getting outscored by the biggest two-match margin in modern San Diego Sockers history (20-10 aggregate score).
The combination of a critical match, the retirement ceremony of all-time Comets leading scorer Leo Gibson, and the promise of a teddy bear toss led to a rollicking atmosphere inside a sold-out Cable Dahmer Arena. The Comets put heavy pressure on the net from the start, misfiring on a wide-open 2-v-1 run down the floor. In the fifth minute, Kansas City found the lead. A defensive turnover gave Ramone Palmer the ball in the low-right corner of the attacking zone. He laid off a pass to Lucas Souza, who appeared to be too close to the goal wall to get off an effective shot. However, his bid for the net caught Pardo staggering on his near post, and as the keeper fell down, the ball caromed off him into the net for a 1-0 lead at 4:28. The match was delayed for a few minutes as teddy bears of various sizes rained down for charitable donation.
The delay did not stem the Comets’ momentum. With just under eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, Ramone Palmer took advantage of the Sockers ball-watching, accepting a pass through the defense for a breakaway halfway down the floor. Pardo stood tall to make the save, but San Diego could not get the ball back, and Rian Marques found himself free to rush the net unimpeded. Pardo again warded the shot away, but a wide-open Leo Acosta was waiting unmarked to slam home the rebound from the top of the crease for a 2-0 lead at 7:17. San Diego pressured the net with a Leonardo de Oliveira close-range shot as the quarter wound down, but finished the first 15 minutes trailing 2-0.
The second quarter saw the Sockers get back into the match thanks to top-flight goalkeeping…