A Savage Loss In Chihuahua 8-5

The Chihuahua Savage (14-2-0, 40 pts) used a 6-0 run in the first half and held on to defeat the visiting San Diego Sockers (11-3-0, 30) 8-5 at Corner Sport Arena in Chihuahua, Mexico on Friday Night. Jorge Rios led the Savage with four points. The Sockers traveled with seven new players on the roster due to rest for Sunday’s match and immigration issues. Ismael Rojo has two goals in his Sockers’ season debut. With the win, Chihuahua improved to 10-0-0 at home. 

Two players who were signed today by San Diego immediately made an impact as Brando Escoto’s pass through the crease to Ismael Rojo was finished into an open goal to give the Sockers an early 1-0 lead at 2:12. Both Rojo and Escoto can only play for the Sockers when they are in Mexico. Chihuahua leveled the game only 54 seconds later on a Hugo Puentes blast from the left point with the assist from Jaime Alejandro Romero. Tavoy Morgan’s unassisted marker put San Diego back up 2-1 at the 3:35 mark of a wide-open first period. The Savage then went on a six-goal scoring spree beginning at 5:06 on a nice pass by Alejandro Romero into the area to Carlos Hernandez, who back-heeled his shot into the net at the back post. Former Socker Erick Tovar gave Chihuahua their first lead with a goal at 7:40 off an assist from Jorge Rios. Javier Gallegos was the beneficiary of a Rios helper at 9:42 for the first two-goal lead of the match. The explosive quarter featured 29 shots on goal and ended with the Savage leading 4-2. 

Rios continued Chihuahua’s scoring streak with two goals in the second. The first was a one-time shot from the right point with the assist going to Brandon González at 1:02. His second was a direct free kick score four-and-half minutes later. San Diego could not stop the run as the Savage extended the lead to 7-2 with a tough-angle shot from deep in the corner by Roberto Escalante after he collected a pass from Javier Gallegos. Chihuahua took a 7-2 advantage into halftime.

Rojo got his brace at 6:16 of the third when he finished a Gabriel Costa pass to stop Chihuahua’s six-goal run. San Diego stabilized their performance and played a better period, but still trailed going into the final stanza, 7-3. 

Twenty-three seconds into the fourth, the Sockers got within three on a Costa score off a Luiz Morales pass. San Diego went to the sixth-attacker with just under seven minutes remaining and it didn’t take Chihuahua long to get a goal. Romero added a goal with his two assists at 8:47 off an assist from goalkeeper Christian Hernandez, who played the entire second half. Sebastian Mendez teamed up with Jhon Ponce for the final tally of the night at 13:55.  

Xavier Snaer-Williams (4-1-0), who was replacing the at-home Boris Pardo, got his third start of the season. In a game that would have been tough on any goalkeeper, he finished with 12 saves on the 19 shots he faced in 30 minutes of play. Former Savage keeper Ivan Munoz was in the net for San Diego in the second half, making seven saves, while allowing no goals.

Along with Pardo (rest), Kraig Chiles (rest), Leonardo De Oliveira (immigration), and Keko Gontán (immigration) stayed in San Diego. 

San Diego concludes the home-and-home series with Chihuahua on Sunday, February 16, 5:05pm at Frontwave Arena on Teacher Appreciation Night. Individual, group, mini-plan, and $75 Family four-pack tickets are available at AXS.com, SDSockers.com, or FrontwaveArena.com.