Tempers flare, fans get involved in ugly end to Wave-Sockers Game 1

Shoves escalated between the Milwaukee Wave and San Diego Sockers and fans got involved in the unpleasantries, turning the conclusion of Game 1 of the MASL championship series ugly. In the final seconds of the Sockers’ 5-4 victory April 22 at the UWM Panther Arena, Wave defender Tony Walls took a kick to the groin on a play that ended any chance for a traditional exchange of handshakes and hugs. Spirited jawing turned into jostling between players, and at least one fan and one Sockers player apparently were struck by thrown debris.

Wave players followed the Sockers players into the tunnel leading to their dressing room, and a security officer requested the presence of police who were at the Arena. Game 1 box score: Sockers 5, Wave 4 At the same time, officials were reviewing the play. Several minutes after the game the announcement came that Sockers defender Cesar Cerda had been issued a red card for violent conduct, making him ineligible for Game 2 on April 24 in Oceanside, California.

“It just got heated at the end [between] two high-level teams,” veteran Wave forward Ian Bennett said. “They're very competitive, and who wants to win it? The rest, it was a hard game to ref, right?

Because it's a big game. It's big final. Emotions are there.