San Diego Sockers Are Back Winning
San Diego Champions – the San Diego Sockers – are showing off their strengths and prowess in the arena as they defeat their rival, the Tacoma Stars and forge ahead in the 2016 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs.
Soccer News from San Diego Sockers – The San Diego Sockers cruised into the Pacific Division Final with a comprehensive 11-3 victory over the Tacoma Stars in front of 2,774 vociferous fans at the Valley View Casino Center.
The Sockers will now face regular season division champions, Soles de Sonora in the next round of the 2016 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs. The first match will be held at the Valley View Casino Center on Thursday night at 7:05pm PT.
The date and time of the second match in Hermosillo, Mexico is to be determined.
Following Wednesday night’s 8-7 double overtime victory in Washington, a close match was expected, but the Sockers put together their most complete game of the season to execute the two game sweep of the Stars in round one.
“Today was the first time our whole team played as a unit,” head coach Phil Salvagio said in the locker-room afterwards. “We stuck with each other, we battled for each other. We stuck to the game plan and all made good decisions. It’s the first time all year.”
The first quarter ended 1-1 as Nick Perera’s darting run and finish at the 8:15 mark was cancelled out in the final 26 seconds on an emphatic back-post volley by Joseph Cairel.
The Sockers went on a four goal blitz in the second quarter, however, with Anthony Medina, Jonatan Santos and Matt Clare all scoring on ferocious strikes that threatened to break the netting behind Stars’ goalkeeper Danny Waltman. Victor Quiroz scored the other goal, slotting home a rebound following a shot from Eddie Velez.
San Diego continued it’s dominance in the third as the home-side shut Tacoma out for a second straight quarter. At the other end, Evan McNeley side-footed home a pass from Kraig Chiles at the 5:52 mark. Just a minute and 14 seconds later, Matt Clare finished off a blistering counter-attack, perfectly placing his shot inside the far post following a reverse pass from Perera.
In the final frame, Clare completed his hat-trick, while Velez, Kraig Chiles and Erick Tovar all got in on the act as the Sockers finished with a flurry.
The 14-time champions now head to the Pacific Division Final where they’ve fallen in each of the last two seasons to the Las Vegas Legends.
Standing in their way this time around is a Soles de Sonora side that finished the regular season 17-3, but two of its losses came against the Sockers.
“We just have to focus on our strengths,” first leg hero Anthony Medina said after the game. “We need to keep working for each other and continue to eliminate a lot of the stuff [mistakes] that’s haunted us throughout the year and I think we’ll be fine.”
It will be paramount that the Sockers get the victory at home on Thursday before heading to Mexico, but if they play the way they did this evening, than they should set themselves up nicely for the return match in Sonora.
News Source: San Diego Sockers press release
