Defense Dominates as Empire Falls 3-4 at San Diego

Sockers goalkeeper Snaer-Williams boasts .786 save percentage

Please click here for the boxscore.

Oceanside, Calif. — In a stingy affair, the Empire Strykers looked capable of defeating hosts San Diego Sockers on Saturday evening, only to fall to their long-time Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) rivals 3-4 in regulation time. The clash between the two Southern California outfits featured an unlikely match-winner in San Diego netminder Xavier Snaer-Williams. With the Sockers regular number one, Boris Pardo, out due to illness, the 25-year-old Snaer-Williams boasted an impressive .786 save percentage, frustrating Empire time and time again with key interventions.

After a fiercely contested opening phase, the Strykers took the lead just under halfway through the first quarter, Alex Bradley grabbing his second goal in an Empire uniform courtesy of an excellent individual effort. Receiving a pass from Marco Fabián with his back toward the goal, the Englishman shielded the ball on the right before stunning his marker with a clever spin to his left and a powerful drive inside the far-side netting. The visitors doubled their advantage not long thereafter, as Mounir Alami fired home from Jorge DeLeon.

San Diego would cut its deficit in half well before the end of the period, Tavoy Morgan making it 1-2 on an assist by Leonardo de Oliveira.

The Strykers had a golden opportunity to get their third inside the second quarter, a wide-open Justin Stinson seeing his effort cleared off the line by Sockers attacker Luiz Morales. The away side was punished for the squandered chance when indoor legend Kraig Chiles tied the score with a powerful far-post header, converting Mitchell Cardenas’s pinpoint service on a restart from the right. San Diego took its first lead of the night mere moments later, ex-Ontario Fury (today’s Empire Strykers) standout Charlie Gonzalez blasting a laser beam inside the near post on another restart near where Cardenas had recorded his helper.

After Gabriel Costa missed a shootout chance, rattling the left post, the midfielder did make it 4-2 on a subsequent power play, finding the net on a low drive off the same upright.

The second half saw an outstanding defensive display from both teams, as the Sockers repeatedly withstood Empire’s familiar strategy of using its goalkeeper as a sixth attacker. After a scoreless third period, San Diego backstop Snaer-Williams made one of the key plays of the game, as he produced a point-blank block against Abdul Mansaray. Forward Mansaray had found himself sprinting into the opposition half all by himself, as he took advantage of the element of surprise when reentering the field on the heels of a successful power play kill by his team.

With each team being down to five players late in the match due to simultaneous blue cards, midfielder Fabián pulled one back for the Strykers within the final minute. Running out of time, Head Coach Onua Obasi’s side fell 3-4 despite a promising effort.

The Empire Strykers’ next home game is a clash with the Tacoma Stars on Sunday, January 5. Tickets are available here.