August 6, 1999
The Pacific Division-leading San Diego Flash (15-7, 70 points) renews acquaintances with bitter rival Orange County Friday, 7:35 p.m. at Douglas Stadium. The intra-division contest is the fourth of six meetings between the teams, with the home club winning each match in the history of the series.
San Diego enters the tilt with a 19-point advantage over the third-place Zodiac, after defeating El Paso last Saturday to end a two-game losing skid. The Flash will be without starting defender Jamie Munro and forward Antonio Robles as both are serving suspensions for red card violations. Mugurel Dumitru has been providing the offense for the team. The Romanian forward has a two-game goal streak and has tallied five points in his last two matches. Newly signed defender David Banks might make an appearance in Friday's match in front of goalkeeper Tom Tate. Tate has compiled a 7-1 record and currently has a four-game winning streak.
The Zodiac are battling Vancouver (54 pts), Seattle (51) and New Orleans (46) for playoff position. Forward Steve Patterson is tied for sixth in League scoring with 28 points on 13 goals and two assists. Gustavo Leal and Eddie Soto compliment Patterson on the offensive attack. Goalkeeper Mike Littman has a 1.52 GAA and an 11-7 record.
Patriots Look to Shoot Down San Diego Sunday
The El Paso Patriots will try to salvage the final game of the six-game season series with the Flash. The Patriots (8-13, 36) have won only once in five outings against San Diego this year, however, the one win came at Douglas Stadium in a 3-2 upset on July 24.
El Paso is currently one point out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth. Five teams, all within five points of one another, are jockeying for the last spot. The Patriots are at a slight disadvantage having played two matches more than their competitors. Forward Michael Griego, who notched two goals in the Patriots upset win, is the club's leading scorer with eight goals and one assist. Defender Victor Castro is second with 14 points on six goals and two assists.
San Diego will be coming off its match against Orange County on Friday, as El Paso will be beginning a two-game California road trip with this match.
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