The re-match is on.
The Sockers will face the defending MASL Ron Newman Cup champion Chihuahua Savage in the second round of the Western Division finals beginning in Mexico on Thursday.
This marks the third straight season that San Diego (18-6-0) and Chihuahua (16-7-1) will meet for the right to play for the Cup. In 2021-22, San Diego beat Chihuahua in a three-match series and went on to win the Cup, while the tide turned for the Savage in a three-match win last season before taking the title.
It wasn’t easy for the Sockers to make it to this point, as the Texas Outlaws, despite a sub-.500 record, took the first match of their semi-final series.
But Brandon Escoto scored a hat trick in Match Two on April 8 and added a goal in the Knockout Game, as the Sockers advanced past the Outlaws. They won Match Two 8-3 to force the 15-minute Knockout Game, where they prevailed 4-0.
Chihuahua set aside the Tacoma Stars to advance, also prevailing 2-1 in a series that included a Knockout Game.
The Sockers’ Boris Pardo was among the Western Division’s best regular-season goalkeepers, but Chihuahua’s Diego Reynoso paced the west in two key categories with a 3.31 GAA and .750 save percentage.
Tavoy Morgan led the division in points with 48 and assists with 22 – but also in fouls, with 54. Escoto and Charlie Gonzalez were in the top 5 for points and assists as well. Escoto, however, has surged in the playoffs, with four goals. Gonzalez and Gabriel Costa each have two playoff assists.
Big contributors for the Savage include Hugo Puentes with 21 goals and Roberto Escalante with 41 blocked opponent shots. Puentes has three assists in the playoffs, while Angel Castro and Arturo Valle are racking up the fouls with seven and six respectively.
Match Two, and a Knockout Game if necessary, will take place at Pechanga Arena at 5:05 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are on sale online or via (866) 799-GOAL.
