San Diego Sockers Lose in Overtime
Monterrey Flash stunned the San Diego Sockers with an overtime victory on Sunday in the MASL Western Conference Final. The road victory in front of 3,907 supporters secured Monterrey a spot in the 2019 MASL championship match scheduled next weekend.
MASL Soccer News: Monterrey Flash defeated the San Diego Sockers in a thrilling 4-3 overtime matchup on Sunday afternoon.
The Flash secured a ticket to the 2019 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Ron Newman Cup Championship scheduled next weekend versus theMilwaukee Wave.
Three-time MASL MVP Franck Tayou scored the opener in the 10th minute of the first quarter to give Monterrey a 1-0 lead. Tayou controlled the ball with his back to goal and quickly turned and shot a low ball between the legs of the Sockers defense.
With over a minute left of the first quarter, San Diego was caught making a substitution and conceded another goal.
While a San Diego defender was transitioning onto the field, Monterrey goalkeeper Diego Reynoso passed a ball on the ground into the stride of Brayan Aguilar. With a trailing San Diego defender, the Monterrey forward took two touches and finished low to the back post.
A stunning effort by Leonardo De Oliveira put the Sockers on the scoreboard 11 seconds later. De Oliveira collected a driven ball off the end line boards and turned his defender with a pass to himself off the sideline wall into the middle of the pitch. The San Diego forward took a touch and finished a low shot for the Sockers’ opening goal of the match.
The Sockers equalized in the fifth minute of the second quarter with Kraig Chiles on the scoring end. Christian Gutierrez served a driven ball from midfield to Chiles who flicked the ball with his head into the back of the net.
The matched remained level until the 10th minute of the final quarter when De Oliveira tallied his second goal of the night. Brandon Escoto passed the ball to De Oliveira who rolled a touch outside the penalty area into stride for an authoritative finish.
Monterrey equalized with under three minutes left of the match. Garcia was the provider once again with a long ball off the end line boards. Aguilar collected the ball and finished a volley to send the match to overtime a 3-3 draw.
Monterrey closed out the game with a goal in the first minute of overtime. After receiving a pass from Aguilar on the right flank, Miguel Vaca took one touch into Monterrey’s attacking third with a defender in his path. Vaca put his head down and delivered a powerful strike that rattled the crossbar for the game-winner.
The loss for the Sockers closed out an impressive regular season run that included a 23-game winning streak.
The Flash returns to the Ron Newman Cup Championship for the second consecutive year. The club was crowned 2014-15 MASL Ron Newman Cup Champions.
Monterrey will take on the Milwaukee Wave in the MASL Ron Newman Cup Championship on Sunday, May 5, at 6:05 p.m. ET. Milwaukee Wave will serve as hosts in the matchup.
