Mississippi Brilla picked up a crucial road win over the Midland/Odessa Sockers in Midland on Thursday to vault them into first place in the Mid-South Division. The two teams squared off again on Saturday in Midland, and the result was different this time. The Sockers escaped with a 2-1 victory to leapfrog Brilla back into first place.
With the loss on Thursday, the Sockers came out desperate for a home victory. Their intensity showed from the beginning as Tucker Hume scored from close range in the 7th minute off a cross from Beto Garcia.
The Sockers continued their attack throughout the first half, but Brilla goalkeeper Josh Christensen was able to keep the one goal deficit until the Sockers struck again in first half injury time. Fabio Pena found his way into the box through several Brilla defenders and calmly laid a pass back to an onrushing Chuy Cortes. Cortes blasted a shot from the top of the box that found the back of the next, and gave the Sockers a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
The second half was quite a bit different as some halftime changes seemed to light a fire under the Brilla attack. After creating several chances throughout the early stages of the first half, Brilla finally found the back of the net in the 73rd minute. Logan Mendez was credited with the goal after a flurry of chances from close range.
The remainder of the game was a frantic finish between two heavyweights in the Premier Development League. The Sockers weathered the storm, with a final chance from Sergio Royo rattling the crossbar during stoppage time.
Midland currently sits atop the Mid-South Division with a 5-2-1 record (16 points), while Mississippi is a close second at 4-2-2 (14 points). The two teams will tangle again in a weekend doubleheader in Clinton, MS next weekend on Friday, July 3 and Sunday, July 5.