Fury Eliminated; Tacoma Makes The Playoffs
The Pacific Division Champion San Diego Sockers ended the postseason dreams of the Ontario Fury with an 8-4 win before a gathering of 3,279 at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Sockers (18-3), who will meet the Tacoma Stars in the Divisional Championship Series beginning Thursday, March 8, are one win away from securing the second-best record in the MASL and the possibility of having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
After a tight and scoreless first quarter, San Diego's leading scorer Kraig Chiles deposited the ball in the back of the Fury net at 2:18 of the second period. For Chiles, it was his 50th point on the season. However, Ontario would come back to take a 2-1 lead on goals from Francisco Cordeiro and Leonardo De Oliveira. The turning point in the game was a late tying goal by Matt Clare with only 5.6 seconds remaining before the break.
San Diego used that momentum to strike early in the third when Chiles tallied his second goal of the night only 19 seconds into the period. The goal began a three-goal spree that gave the Sockers some breathing room. Brandon Escoto and John Sosa finished the stanza with a goal each. The Fury would add another goal with four minutes left in the period to get within two, but they would get no closer.
The fourth period would feature two goals from Escoto and Clare's second of the match to close out the game.
Goalkeeper Boris Pardo improved his record to 9-0-1 by making 14 saves on 18 Fury shots. The MASL's leading goalkeeper made key saves throughout the game to preserve the victory for San Diego.
The Stars were the beneficiaries of San Diego's win as they clinched the final playoff berth. The two teams will now meet in the best-of-three Divisional Championship Series beginning on Thursday, March 8, in Tacoma. Game Two and a possible Mini-Game will be played at Valley View Casino Center on Saturday, March 10., 7:05 p.m. Tickets are on sale for the postseason at Sockers.com/Playoff.
San Diego closes out the 2017-18 MASL regular season on Saturday, March 3, 7:05 p.m. at Valley View Casino Center on Fan Appreciation NIght. Highlights include the first 2,000 Supporters receiving a free Juli Veee Vintage Sockers T-shirt, $2 Bud Lights and the popular annual All-Star Celebrity Halftime Game featuring over 30 national and local celebrities. Tickets are on sale now at AXS.com.
SCORING
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| San Diego | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
SHOTS
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 13 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 35 |
| San Diego | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| Period | Time | Strength | Team | Scorer (Assists) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 02:18 | ES | San Diego | Kraig Chiles (Cesar Cerda) | 0 - 1 Sockers | |
| 2nd | 06:28 | ES | Ontario | Francisco Cordeiro (Maicon De Abreu) | 1 - 1 Tie | |
| 2nd | 11:13 | ES | Ontario | Leonardo De Oliveira (Juan Carlos Gonzalez) | 2 - 1 Fury | |
| 2nd | 14:55 | ES | San Diego | Matt Clare (Brandon Escoto) | 2 - 2 Tie | |
| 3rd | 00:19 | ES | San Diego | Kraig Chiles (Brian Farber) | 2 - 3 Sockers | |
| 3rd | 03:59 | ES | San Diego | Brandon Escoto (Hiram Ruiz) | 2 - 4 Sockers | |
| 3rd | 09:30 | ES | San Diego | John Sosa | 2 - 5 Sockers | |
| 3rd | 11:04 | ES | Ontario | Juan Carlos Gonzalez (Israel Sesay) | 3 - 5 Sockers | |
| 4th | 04:10 | ES | San Diego | Matt Clare (Kraig Chiles) | 3 - 6 Sockers | |
| 4th | 05:51 | PP | San Diego | Brandon Escoto - Shootout | 3 - 7 Sockers | |
| 4th | 12:03 | PP | Ontario | Thiago Goncalves (Juan Carlos Gonzalez) - 6 attackers | 4 - 7 Sockers | |
| 4th | 14:05 | ES | San Diego | Brandon Escoto (Jamie Lovegrove) - vs 6 attackers | 4 - 8 Sockers |
3 STARS
1ST STARBrandon EscotoG: 3 A: 1 PTS: 4 San Diego2ND STARKraig ChilesG: 2 A: 1 PTS: 3 San Diego3RD STARMatt ClareG: 2 A: 0 PTS: 2 San Diego