May 2, 2022 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – San Diego Sockers News Release
LAKELAND, FL – The heart of a champion is measured best in moments of adversity. With the chips down in the fourth quarter, trailing 3-2 in front of a hostile crowd, the San Diego Sockers shrugged and did their thing, moving one step away from a second straight Ron Newman Cup.
Kraig Chiles scored the equalizer and assisted on the game-winner, as the Sockers scored four unanswered goals to close the match, beating the Florida Tropics 6-3 on Monday night at RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Tavoy Morgan added two goals and Charlie Gonzalez had three assists, as San Diego moved a leg up on the Tropics, with the Ron Newman Cup Finals heading back to Pechanga Arena for Game Two (and a Knockout Game if necessary) on Sunday at 5:05pm.
“We just stay focused,” said Chiles of the club’s grace under pressure, “We missed a few opportunities in the first half, but we knew if we stayed at it and stayed focused, we would break the seal.”
A tense match exploded in the fourth quarter. The Sockers nursed a 2-1 halftime lead through a scoreless third, but Florida’s Zach Reget netted back-to-back goals at 1:08 and 5:00 to give the Tropics a 3-2 lead, delighting the crowd of 2,244 at RP Funding Center. Back came the Sockers, with Charlie Gonzalez leading a counter-attack 2-v-1, feeding Chiles in the middle to tie the match just 24 seconds later.
When Florida was called for a foul outside their box and turned to complain to the officials, Chiles utilized a quick restart, spotting Escoto on the back post for a tap-in goal at 6:!9 for the lead.
San Diego out-shot Florida 28-20 and built a 2-1 lead on a pair of goals from Tavoy Morgan, who scored in each of the first two quarters.
“Everybody gave 110 percent,” said Morgan, “The flow was good for us. We know defense wins games, and we stuck together in that third and fourth quarter and came out victorious.”
Cesar Cerda and Guerrero Pino scored into an empty net…