Sockers Win 17th Straight Game in 13-3 Romp of Dallas
Sockers
After a 9-3 victory against the Turlock Express, it was time for the Sockers to hit the road. They had to then make the over 1,500 mile trip to Dallas for their Sunday matchup against the Sidekicks.
San Diego had a very physical game with Turlock. The Sockers would’ve entered the game fatigued, had it not been for the arrival of the cavalry that was Landon Donavan, Kraig Chiles, Boris Pardo, and Brian Farber.
The veterans made their mark on the game immediately. Taking a pass from Farber, Chiles knocked a goal past Juan Gamboa, extending his point streak to four games. The veteran’s goal was so nice; he decided to do it twice, this time taking a free kick from the top of the penalty box and rifling it past a wall of Sidekicks for his second goal of the night. A Cesar Cerda goal made the score 3-o at the end of the first quarter.
Assisting Cerda on his goal was Leonardo De Oliviera, extending his point streak to six games. He tallied his second assist of the game with a pass to Farber, who scored while performing a semi-split on the ground. San Diego scored again when Gamboa deflected a Chiles shot attempt only for it to go right to Hiram Ruiz, who acknowledged the saved shot by taking the goal for himself. However, Dallas finally got on the board after Carlos Videla slipped away from a defender and, with San Diego honing in on his position, slipped a shot past Pardo for the first Dallas goal.
The score remained locked at 5-1 at halftime, but an Eddie Velez goal increased the Sockers’ lead to five. Minutes later, Chiles secured his hat trick with on a set piece that has been the bread and butter of San Diego’s offense. Beating the defense to score the third and final goal was the former outdoor player Travis Pittman, collecting a pass off the wall and redirecting it past Gamboa and into the back of the net.
With Chiles achieving his hat trick, it was time for Brandon Escoto to earn his hat trick. After Farber’s second goal and with Dallas pressing the attack, Escoto would get his chance. First came a power-play goal from the middle of the box as a twisting and turning Escoto avoided the defense to score. Minutes later on yet another power play, Escoto got the ball in the middle of the box again and this time shot right through Gamboa’s legs to score his second goal.
With the score 11-1, Dallas decided to go with six attackers. While it did net them two goals, San Diego balanced it with two goals of their own, including Escoto and Farber’s third goals apiece. The two strikers joined Chiles in the hat trick club as San Diego won their 17th straight game on the season.
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.