Ten Different Players Score in Sockers 12-1 Romp of Turlock
Credit: Sockers
Normally, teams struggle when playing back-to-back games in the MASL. Shortly after their win against Ontario, the Sockers hopped on a bus for a five-hour ride up to Turlock.
With Brian Farber and Taylor Bond sitting out for rest purposes and Kraig Chiles out with a hamstring injury, San Diego did what they did best; score, score, and score some more. Ten different players scored goals and all but Raymundo Contreras had a point to their name in the score box as the Sockers rolled Turlock 12-1 on their own turf.
Not even one minute into the game, the Sockers would score a goal after Leonardo De Oliviera’s shot bounced off the leg of a Turlock defender and into the net. Minutes later, Christian Segura scored after being virtually handed the ball on a silver platter by the Turlock defense.
The Turlock defense kept making mistakes while looking gassed in the first quarter as their blunders allowed goals from Raymundo Reza and Christian Gutierrez just before the end of the first quarter.
After not scoring all first quarter, it was time for Brandon Escoto to enter the scene. After taking a pass from Eddie Velez, Escoto shot a ball past a sprawling Turlock keeper. Velez got his own goal after Luis Ortega snuck a pass to the somehow uncovered Velez, who tapped the ball into an open net for the goal.
By halftime, it was already 6-0 and Boris Pardo had already been taken out of the game for newly signed backup Jesus “Chuy” Molina, who has played for the US and Mexican National Arena Team in 2008 and 2017. The Sockers didn’t even need Pardo, as the balanced Sockers defense kept the Express away from the goal while the offense maintained possession of the ball.
The scoring would continue to come down in buckets, as Felipe Gonzales, Travis Pittman, and Ortega would strike in goals, while Segura secured his second goal of the night in a four-goal third quarter. By the time the Express put a ball past Molina in the fourth quarter, Escoto had already added his second goal of the night and the 17th of the season, tying him with Chiles for the team lead.
The onslaught was finally put to bed thanks to a Juan Gonzales shot. The shot had made it 12-1 and ended a game that was over by halftime. With the victory, San Diego won their tenth straight game and have a commanding lead in the Pacific division. The Sockers play again next week and begin a two-game series with the Tacoma Stars, with Landon Donovan set to make his MASL debut on Friday in the home game against Tacoma.
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.