Frontwave Credit Union First Look
The San Diego Sockers (12-3-0, 33 pts, 2nd), presented by Kaiser Permanente, host the Milwaukee Wave (9-3-2, 27, 5th) on Saturday, February 22, 7:05pm at Frontwave Arena for Star Wars Night. Midfielder Charlie Gonzalez has a point in 12 of his last 13 matches and is leading the club in points (7-15=22), while dynamic forward Tavoy Morgan tops the team with 17 goals (17-4=21) and is on a 13-match scoring streak. San Diego regained its high level of defensive play in last week’s win over Chihuahua and they will need to be just as strong against a potent Wave offensive attack featuring forwards Alex Sanchez (15-14=29) and Ricardo Carvalho (9-8=17). Milwaukee will be without their third leading scorer Max Ferdinand who is serving a one-game suspension. The Sockers' home-field advantage might give them a slight edge, but the Wave have the potential to spring a surprise.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS
Head Coach: Phil Salvagio
Last Four: W L OTW L
Streak: W1
Home Record: 8-0-0
Leading Scorer: Gonzalez C, 7-15=22
Leading GK: Pardo, 8-2-0, 4.45
Goals Avg: For: 6.1 / Agst: 4.4
Goal Differential: +21
Expected Goals: 5.6
Power Play%: 50%
Penalty Kill %: 70%
Last Match: 2/16, vCUU, 5-2, W
MILWAUKEE WAVE
Head Coach: Giuliano Oliviero
Last Four: OTL L L W
Streak: L3
Away Record: 4-2-0
Leading Scorer: Sanchez, 15-14=29
Leading GK: Banahene, 9-3-1, 4.92
Goals Avg: For: 6.5 / Agst: 5.1
Goal Differential: +14
Expected Goals: 5.4
Power Play%: 47%
Penalty Kill %: 60%
Last Match: 2/15, vTEX, 7-6, OTL
KEY PLAYERS
San Diego:
Cesar Cerda: Earn MASL Defensive POTW for week 12 with his five-block performance helping San Diego stifle Chihuahua. He is four assists away from 100 and he is four games away from playing in 200 matches.
Gabriel Costa: He is tied for fourth in scoring with (6-11=17) and has a point in 10 of his last 12 games.
Boris Pardo: Regained his Goalkeeper Of The Year form in last week’s match against Chihuahua. He is 8-2-0 with a 4.45 GAA.
Milwaukee:
Ian Bennett: The Wave’s career key playmaker is tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 13-1=14, but remains a top threat to put the ball in the back of the goal. His 13 goals in second on the team behind Sanchez (15).
William Banahene: In his sixth season, Banahene is a solid goalkeeper with a record of 9-3-1 and a 4.92 GAA.
Breno Oliveira: The defender is displaying offensive powers as he is fourth on the team in scoring with 7-9=16.
STRATEGIES
San Diego:
Home-Field Advantage: The Sockers have been a force to be reckoned with at Frontwave Arena this season, boasting an impressive undefeated home record of 8-0-0. Their potent attack and solid defense have made them a tough opponent for any team visiting Frontwave Arena.
Dominate Possession: San Diego will want to dominate possession and exploit any gaps left by the Wave’s defense with quick counter-attacks.
Capitalize On Special Teams: The power-play unit, which is tied for first with KC, is working at 50% (9/18). The penalty-killing squad has been successful 70% (14/20) of the time to rank fifth in the MASL. Both will need to convert on their opportunities to help secure a victory.
Milwaukee:
Counter-Attacking: The Wave might adopt a more counter-attacking approach, relying on quick transitions to exploit any defensive lapses to keep the match close.
Defend, Defend, Defend: Milwaukee will have to remain solid in the back and get a strong performance from goalkeeper Banahene. They cannot afford to give up easy goals to prevent a scoring run by San Diego.
Remember The Past: Milwaukee is 5-6 versus San Diego, but has a history of strong performances against the Sockers and will be confident in their ability to cause an upset.
FORM
San Diego: The Sockers have won 12 of their last 14 games, while being undefeated at home with an 8-0-0 mark.
Milwaukee: The Wave have lost three of their last four matches.
SOCKERS LAST TIME OUT // vs CHIHUAHUA, 5-2 WIN, FEB 16, 2025
The San Diego Sockers (12-3-0, 33) christened a new navy field with a new defensive attitude to stifle the Chihuahua Savage (14-3-0, 40) 5-2 in front of 3,505 supporters at Frontwave Arena on Sunday evening. With the win, the team moved back into second place. San Diego had given up 22 goals in the past three games and eight on Friday in Mexico. Tavoy Morgan had two goals, giving him seven tallies in three matches against Chihuahua this year, to pace the offense.
WAVE LAST TIME OUT // v TEXAS, 7-6 OT LOSS, FEB 15, 2025
The Milwaukee Wave came up short against a determined Texas Outlaws side when David Stankovic scored the game-winner at 1:08 of the overtime frame to give Texas a 7-6 win. Milwaukee would rally late from a 2-goal deficit, and equalize with 0:09 seconds on the clock.
SOCKERS 2023/24 SEASON REVIEW
The Sockers had a strong 2023/24 season, finishing with an impressive record of 18 wins, 5 losses, and 1 overtime loss, securing 52 points and clinching the Western Division regular-season title. This performance highlighted their dominance in the league, continuing their legacy as one of the most successful teams in history.
LET’S GO STREAKING - TEAM
Sockers have won 12 of 14 games...have won 8 straight home games...have lost 2 of the last 3 away games...have won 4 of the last 6 away games...have scored 4 or more goals in 15 consecutive games...have scored 3 or more goals in 15 consecutive games...have allowed less than 3 goals in 1 game...have allowed 3 or more goals in 14 of last 15 games...have a power-play opportunity in 15 straight games...have a penalty-kill opportunity in 5 consecutive games
LET’S GO STREAKING - INDIVIDUAL
Pardo has won 8 of his last 10 games...Snaer-Williams has won 4 of last 5 games and 2 of 3 straight that he has started...Morgan has a 12-game point streak...Chiles has a 6-game point streak...Morales has a 5-game point streak...De Oliveira has a point in 3 games...Gonzalez C has a point in 12 of the last 13 games...Costa has a point in 10 of the last 12 games......Mendez has a point in 7 of the last 9 games...Ruggles has a point in 4 of the last 6 games
MASL MILESTONES WITHIN REACH (Complete List On The Next Page)
Christian Gutierrez, 200 Games Played, 2; Gabriel Costa, 50 Games Played, 2; Ben Ramin, 150 Games Played, 3
SOCKERS UNVEIL NEW NAVY BLUE TURF
As part of the preparations for hosting the MASL Ron Newman Cup Playoffs, the Sockers and Frontwave Arena unveiled their new navy blue turf on February 16 vs Chihuahua. The turf features the Sockers script logo in white in the center circle, both goal boxes are white with a FAN CLB, a team partner, logo in black. The support lines are in gold. Click for photos.
THREE PLAYERS REACH MASL MILESTONES IN THE SAME GAME
Gabriel Costa, Tavoy Morgan, and Drew Ruggles reached milestones during the February 16 match vs. Chihuahua. Morgan hit the 150-career goal mark. Ruggles reached the 150-career point mark. Costa tallied his 50th assist.
PARDO REACHES MASL GK MILESTONE - 10,000 GK MINUTES PLAYED
Boris Pardo became the first goalkeeper in MASL history to play 10,000 minutes. He achieved the accomplishment on 1/17 vs. Texas at 3:36 of the third quarter. He would leave the game after playing 37:01 and making seven saves on 10 shots.
MORGAN HITS 200 CAREER POINTS
Tavoy Morgan scored his 200th career point with a goal on January 5 against the Chihuahua Savage.
LEO REACHES 300 CAREER POINTS
Leo DeOliveira hit the 300 career point mark on January 20 with an assist on Gontán’s first-period goal vs. Empire.
CERDA, COSTA & MORALES NAMED MASL ALL-STARS
Cesar Cerda, Gabriel Costa, and Luiz Morales were named to the MASL All-Star Game, which was played on 2/12 in Utica, NY. However, the trio did not participate due to travel to Chihuahua for the 2/14 match.
THREE DOT NOTES...
Cerda was named Defensive Player of the Week, Week 11...Chiles and Morgan have two hat tricks this season...The Sockers are 1/3 on PK’s (Chiles 2/16 (goal), Gonzalez C 2/8 & Chiles 2/2)...had a 10-game winning streak from 12/14-2/7...The Sockers have scored two shorthanded goals this season, while allowing two...The Sockers had two hat tricks in the same game vs TEX on 1/25 (Chiles & Mendez)...Eddie Velez made his season debut on 2/7 at KC...Travis Pittman and Eli Zamora made their season debuts on 1/17 vs Texas...Chiles had two shootout attempts (1/1) on 1/15 vs KC...Seven players, the most this season, had an assist at Tacoma on 1/10...San Diego has six hat tricks this season (Mendez 1/25, Chiles 1/25, Morgan 1/17 & 1/5, Ruggles 1/10 & Morales 12/4)...The Sockers are averaging 3,095 fans at Frontwave Arena (1,587 last year in their final season at Pechanga Arena)...Pardo earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 8...Snaer-Williams earned MASL GK of the Week honors for week 5...Sebastian Mendez notched his first point as a Socker with an assist against Tacoma on 12/10...Former Sockers Emmanuel Aquirre, Gerardo Jurado, and Andy Reyes return to San Diego to face their old teammates...The crowd of 4,508 on 12/14/24 (home opener) was the largest ever to watch a soccer match at Frontwave Arena and the second highest in history behind the SD Clippers G-League game with a sellout of 5,500 on 2/8...The season-opening loss in Tacoma was the first since 1/29/21 at Kansas City...During the off-season. the Sockers acquired M Sebastian Mendez and F Luiz Morales from Texas...Returning to San Diego are F Taylor Bond (UCFC), M Travis Pittman (Free Agent), and D Ben Ramin (Milwaukee)...Other free agent signings include Spanish international M/F Keko Gontán and D Eli Zamora...Brandon Escoto is away from the team due to immigration issues, but is playing with the Sockers2. He can play in any Sockers games in Mexico.