Sockers Ride the Chiles Express to Win
Kraig Chiles had a hat trick and Leonardo De Oliveira added five assists as the San Diego Sockers throttled the Turlock Express 12-4 at Ron Newman Field at Pechanga Arena San Diego on Sunday night. Brandon Escoto, Brian Farber, and Taylor Bond scored two goals apiece. Goalkeeper Boris Pardo made 10 saves to earn his MASL-best 10th win. The Pacific Division-leading Sockers improved to 10-1 and are on an eight-game winning streak.
Taylor Bond (2-1=3) opened the scoring at 5:07 off De Oliveira's (0-5=5) first helper of the night. It was the first time in six games that the Sockers tallied the initial goal. Luis "Pee Wee" Ortega (1-1=2) and Felipe Gonzalez (1-0=1) extended their point streaks (five and two, respectively) with goals to end the first quarter with the Sockers leading 3-1.
San Diego exploded for six goals in the second period. Chiles (3-1=4) scored his three goals, while Escoto, Farber, and Bond also tallied. Christian Gutierrez added a late goal to finish the scoring. Juan Gonzalez provided two assists in the match.
Martyn Arista (2-0=2), Matthew Germain (1-1=2) and Victor Parra (1-0=1) led Turlock. The Express used two goalkeepers during the onslaught. Edgar Martinez faced 10 shots, allowing five goals, while starter Martin Sanchez gave up seven goals on 16 shots.
Dozens of furloughed government workers took advantage of the free ticket offer provided by the team for the game.
San Diego will return to action with back-to-back road contests to start February. On February 7, The Sockers travel up I-15 to meet the Ontario Fury, before playing the Express the following night in Turlock.
The Sockers next home game is Friday, February 15, 7:35 p.m. against the Tacoma Stars. It will be Celebrity Night, featuring the annual All-Star Celebrity Halftime Game. Flex, group, and single game tickets are on sale now by calling 866-799-GOAL (4625) by visiting Sockers.com or AXS.com (Search: Sockers).