MIDLAND It was sweet revenge for Sockers FC as the team scored two shorthanded goals in the second half to cap off a 3-0 victory over Dallas City FC on Saturday night at Grande Communications Stadium.
Playing in National Premier Soccer League action, the Sockers (3-1-1 overall, 3-0-1, 10 points NPSL) were playing Dallas City (1-2-1, 4 points NPSL) for the second time in two weeks. The first meeting ended in a 2-2 draw on the road. But this time, the Sockers didn’t have to split the points.
“You know, I thought it was a really difficult game,” Sockers head coach Johnny Clifford said. “I don’t think we played well tonight. The score line doesn’t really reflect that. I thought Dallas City FC did a lot of good things and had a lot of good moments. But we have a lot of good players who were able to put the ball in the back of the net and that made the biggest difference for the night.”
An own goal by Dallas City FC’s Tristian Adams in the first half gave the Sockers a 1-0 lead. Second half goals by Julio Vargas and Ewan McLauchlan added to their lead. Goalkeeper Brin Lapugh had the shutout for the Sockers.
The Sockers nearly got on the board in the fifth minute when Trevor Amann’s shot went over the bar.
Pedro Garcia was awarded a free kick from 7 yards out shortly after, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
The Sockers earned their first corner kick of the night in the 13th minute when Garcia’s kick from the right side was played out of bounds for another corner kick on which the Sockers also couldn’t make anything of the situation. Dallas City earned a corner kick in the 16th minute, but also couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity and the game remained tied at 0-0.
Despite the game staying deadlocked for so long, the Sockers controlled the majority of possession and chances. A number of free kicks came and went for the Sockers in the first half.
The Sockers eventually broke through with the own goal in the 35th minute for a 1-0 lead.
Garcia’s long-range free kick was saved by Enriquez late in the first half.
Dallas City earned a corner kick late in the first half and nearly got on the board, but Adams’ header went over the bar.
Tempers flared for both teams and Anthony Andoyan was given his second yellow card for a cumulative red card at the end of the first half as Sockers still controlled a 1-0 lead.
Despite being a man down, the Sockers continued to dominate the pitch, creating the bulk of opportunities.
“The sending off part was hard,” Clifford said. “But that’s adversity and you have to learn how to deal with that. I thought we dealt with that pretty well.”
The Sockers continued to dominate the second half as Vargas scored off an assist by Andres Ruiz in the 71st minute for a 2-0 advantage.
A stoppage time goal by McLauchlan was the icing on the cake for the 3-0 win.
