Sockers fall to Monterrey Flash 8-7 in overtime showdown
Credit: SD Sockers
Once again, the San Diego Sockers had to come back from behind.
The Monterrey Flash had a two-goal lead in the fourth quarter after Miguel Vaca made the score 6-4 three minutes into the quarter. San Diego was staring a loss straight in the face.
Then, the comeback magic started to act up again. First, it was Kraig Chiles scoring his second goal of the match to bring the Sockers within one. Another goal by the Flash, this time by Erick Jhon Ponce, pushed Monterrey’s lead back to two.
An Erick Tovar goal cut that lead to just one, but the Sockers’ offense stalled out for the next several minutes. Until an unlikely and underutilized strategy paid off for San Diego: the sixth attacker.
With less than a minute to go in the game, it was Luis “Pee Wee” Ortega who scored the game-tying goal to stun the first-place Monterrey and send the game into overtime.
As overtime began, each team began to jostle for field position with each strike having the potential to finish the game right then and there. Unfortunately for the Sockers, it was Monterrey who scored the golden goal.
After four minutes of overtime action, Flash midfielder Eduardo Garay took a pass from Vaca, slipped through the defense of the Sockers (who were again employing six attackers), and fired a shot that rattled into the back of the net for the winning goal.
This time, the Sockers fell behind in one game too many. Monterrey was consistently outpacing the visitors throughout the game but could never put San Diego away for good at any point throughout the match. The largest lead for the Flash at any time was two, and the Sockers came back to tie the game each time.
Six different Sockers netted a goal in the loss. Taylor Walter Bond scored his fourth goal in the losing effort while Slavisa Ubiparipovic continued a strong season by scoring a goal in his third straight game.
The Sockers have no time to rest, as they now travel to Sonora to take on the Soles de Sonora in hopes of avoiding closing out a long road trip a three-game losing streak.
I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.