Strykers Stun Sockers In OT
Mounir Alami’s header goal 1:14 into golden goal overtime was the difference maker as the Empire Strykers shocked the San Diego Sockers 5-4 on Friday night at Frontwave Arena. A raucous crowd of 3,859 left unhappy for the first time in franchise history, as the Sockers dropped a match on their new home floor. The Strykers (1-0, 2 points) snapped a fifteen-match losing streak to San Diego dating back to 2023.
Throughout the 2024-25 MASL season, the San Diego Sockers (0-0-1, 1 point) were challenged at home, but never beaten. With clutch comebacks, OT goals, and determined defensive efforts, the Sockers went a perfect 15-0 at home between the regular season and playoffs, earning a berth in the Ron Newman Cup Finals.
The Strykers ended all that with two goals against the run of play late in the match. Jorge DeLeon scored the equalizer at 12:37 of the fourth quarter, a slowly-paced ball inside near post which surprised the San Diego defense and second-half goalkeeper Chris Toth, who had his weight on the other foot and saw the ball slip into the net. Then, in overtime, Empire goalkeeper Brian Orozco made a speedy run up the right wall and fired a long shot toward the far post. Alami was able to leap in the air and redirect the pass with his head beyond the outstretched reach of the diving Toth, earning the first win for any visitor in Oceanside.
The match started auspiciously enough for San Diego, with a goal in the first two minutes. Working on a second-chance ball in the offensive zone, midfielder Keko Gontán let a pass-back go through his legs to Gabriel Costa, and took the moment to race down the middle of the crease. Costa’s re-feed pass hit Gontán’s right foot, and his shot settled into the upper reaches of the net for the first goal of the season, and a 1-0 San Diego lead at 1:53.
The rest of the first quarter, however, was all Empire. The Strykers utilized a high press on defense and harassed the Sockers up and down the floor, stitching San Diego into their defensive zone. Empire tied the match at 7:14 when Mounir Alami pressed defender Mitchell Cardenas of San Diego one-on-one in the corner, stealing the ball away and racing in on net alone against the keeper. There was nothing first-half keeper Boris Pardo (9-of-12 saves) could do to stymie the elite chance, as Alami slotted the ball into the corner for a 1-1 tie.
Less than two minutes later, the Strykers had their first lead of the night. Continuing their pressure, Empire drew a foul and a free kick from straightaway in the offensive zone, just inside the crease. Marco Fabian took advantage of a not-yet-set San Diego defense, firing a shot that surprised Pardo and caromed off his hands into the net for a 2-1 Empire lead at 8:42. The Strykers outshot the Sockers 11-3 in the opening period.
The second quarter followed a similar game flow, with an early strike from San Diego, and then consistent pressure and attack from Empire. The Sockers knotted the scoreline at 2-2 on a scramble play, picking up a steal just inside the attacking line and coming forward three-on-two. Newly signed defensive runner Jose “Bebe” Gonzalez got a shot away that was wide of the net, but hit the goal wall and came out perfectly to Taylor Walter Bond, who had a yawning goal mouth in front of him. Bond blasted the ball into the back netting for his first goal of the season at 2:20.
Empire’s answer was a piece of skill worthy of the highlight reel. Chavez, in his first game for the Strykers after beginning his career with the Texas Outlaws, made a slick shot-pass to the far post, where Empire’s Abdul Mansaray was waiting and ready. With one quick back-heel flick, Mansaray redirected the pass inside the far post for his first goal of the year, regaining a 3-2 lead for the visitors from Ontario at 4:57.
On the goal, Sockers head coach Phil Salvagio threw his challenge flag, looking for an uncalled foul before the play. The replay showed there were clearly no fouls on the play, and the wasted challenge would loom large in the fourth quarter. Empire held their lead and almost doubled it, but behind five top-flight saves from Pardo in the period, San Diego managed to hold the deficit to one goal heading into halftime.
The third quarter was a defensive affair, which saw only ten combined shots between the two sides (6-4 San Diego). Scoreless for fourteen minutes, the Sockers found their tie from an unlikely source, as Bond once again rose to the occasion. Dribbling in between defenders outside the yellow line, Bond angled in to the left and surprised the Empire keeper Brian Orozco with a simple left-footed pass into the net, freezing the defense and leveling the score 3-3 at the 14:05 mark.
It appeared San Diego’s perfect record at Frontwave Arena might last through the night, as the Sockers out-shot Empire 7-1 in the fourth quarter, and found their way back to the lead. The chance for a go-ahead goal first presented itself in a scramble around the net, where a shot in from the corner caromed off the hand of top Empire defender Robert Palmer, who was credited with four blocked shots on the night. While the television replay clearly showed Palmer’s hand in an unnatural position moving away from his body, the Sockers had wasted their replay challenge earlier and were unable to convince the officials to review the play on their own.
Moments later, it looked like the non-play wouldn’t matter. On a scrambling steal outside the attacking yellow line, midfielders Sebastian Mendez and Charlie Gonzalez combined to free the ball from a Strykers defender. Mendez’s subtle touch sent Gonzalez forward, and Charlie beat reserve keeper Brandon Gomes with a twisting shot left-to-right, finding the net at 8:41 for the Sockers’ second lead of the night at 4-3. The Strykers’ late-match heroics would follow, however, bringing San Diego’s win streaks against Empire and at home to a crashing end. The Strykers held the final shot advantage in the match, 24-22. Orozco earned the win with 10-of-13 saves and the match-winning assist.
The Sockers will attempt to regroup before playing the Milwaukee Wave on Sunday, December 7 at Frontwave Arena, a 3:00pm Pacific time first kick. The match will be televised on MASL TV on YouTube.