Chiles Scores Hat Trick, Toth Commands Goal In Front Of 6,247 In San Diego
On a night where legends converged on the Valley View Casino Center along with a raucous crowd, the San Diego Sockers gave their fans and the country a show worthy of the good old days.
Kraig Chiles netted a hat trick, taking the MASL lead in goals, as the San Diego Sockers (14-3) used a 4-0 third quarter to race past the Baltimore Blast 7-2 in front of a cowbell-wielding crowd of 6,247 screaming fans. Goalkeeper Chris Toth won Man of the Match with a spectacular effort in net, stopping twelve Blast shots including a pair of point-blank strikes that could have given Baltimore a 2-1 lead.
“It’s amazing, man,” said Toth, who improved to 10-3 on the season, “This is the oldest rivalry in our game. We had a good show for all the fans and for the doubters who were writing us off a bit.”
Alumni Night, featuring a halftime game involving Juli Veee, Brian Quinn, Aaron Susi and over two dozen former Sockers greats, and free cowbells brought out the second-biggest crowd in the six year history of Sockers. With a Baltimore Blast side in town that entered the weekend undefeated, the stakes were seemingly higher than the average regular season game.
“It means so much to us,” said head coach Phil Salvagio of the atmosphere inside the Valley View Casino Center, “The crowd was loud throughout the game. We knew the (former Sockers) legends were here watching, and the rest of the country.”
The first half saw two great teams elevate the sport of indoor soccer with high level play and intense competition. The first quarter was scoreless only for the efforts of Toth and his counterpart, William Vanzela of the Blast. The two keepers traded athletic bonus saves and saw their defenders sell out on sliding blocked shots. Led by defender Evan McNeley‘s six, the Sockers blocked a season-best sixteen shots on the game.
Chiles opened the scoring at 2:47 of the second quarter, redirecting the rebound of his own shot diagonally past Vanzela for a 1-0 Sockers lead. The goal extended Chiles’ goals streak to seventeen games and his points streak to a PASL/MASL record 62 games in a row.
Baltimore responded with clinical possession, holding several Sockers defenders on the field beyond their intended shifts. Two Blast veterans combined to make San Diego pay as Adauto Neto held his target at the left edge of the crease before playing it off to Pat Healey, who rocketed his first-time shot off the left post and in for a 1-1 tie.
The stalemate held, but it would not have without the efforts of Toth. With under a minute to play in the first half, Toth sprung to the middle to block Drew Ruggles‘ left-footed rocket on a clean centering pass. Less than twenty seconds into the third, Toth sprung from far post to near through traffic to stop what looked like a sure goal.
Moments later the Sockers were back on top, as Chiles turned to a right footed half-volley that Veee could admire as a blast from the past, giving San Diego a lead they would not relinquish.
The game turned on a Brazilian connection less than two minutes later, as defender Ze Roberto fed rookie midfielder Ney, who laced a hotly paced curving strike into the side netting from long distance left wing for a 3-1 Sockers lead.
Baltimore (13-2) had only themselves to blame for the remainder of the quarter, racking up costly penalties. Adriano Dos Santos was whistled for the game’s first blue card with 7:16 remaining, continuing a series of hard tackles he was involved in during the night. Earlier, Dos Santos tracked back across three lines to kick San Diego defender Luis Piffer, who was on crutches after the game with a serious ankle injury.
“It doesn’t look good,” said Salvagio.
On his way to the penalty box, Dos Santos picked up a yellow card for dissent, then completed his set with a red card while seated in the sin bin, reportedly for making a foul gesture to the official.
The Sockers took no time, scoring on Chiles’ hat trick goal and 42nd of the season, converting Eduardo Velez’s pass on the 5-vs-3 advantage. Later in the period the Blast would again accrue back-to-back blue cards, and this time it was Chiles returning the pass to Velez (goal, two assists) who roofed home a 5-1 lead with just sixteen seconds left on the clock.
Sockers defense was able to keep Baltimore from chipping into the lead until 6:01 remained in the game, when Onua Obasi netted a rebound goal off Tony Donatelli’s sixth attacker assist to narrow the gap to 5-2. San Diego answered back with a pair of pressure goals, as Brian Farber crashed the crease to pressure a loose ball away from Obasi and tap it into the net. Jeff Hughes closed out the scoring from midfield, finding an empty net in the closing minute.
With MASL commissioner Kevin Milliken in attendance along with several of the league’s key owners, the stakes were high in terms of showcasing what indoor soccer can be as a spectator sport. The end result was sure to make believers out of a new generation of fans while earning the approval of the old school legends as well.
Every year it’s growing,” said Toth of the fan support for the Sockers, “The fans are coming out more and more and people are really starting to catch on. And with the leagues merged and old rivalries emerging, it makes things much more interesting.”
The Sockers now prepare for a two-game road swing next week, taking on the second-place Ontario Fury (13-5) Thursday night at 7:35 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario and the Las Vegas Legends the following night in Vegas. San Diego returns home to close out the regular season on Saturday, February 21st when they host the Fury on Fan Appreciation Night.
Tickets are available at (866) 799-GOAL, online or at the Valley View Casino Center box office.
