A tired and depleted Sockers team narrowly got the victory in a 7-5 game against the winless Texas Outlaws to win their seventh straight game.

Texas midfielders Erik Macias and Tyler Bagley scored in the first 5:30 of the game that gave them an early 2-0 lead over a shocked Sockers team.

They didn’t have some of their regular defenders Cesar Cerda, Ben Ramin and Felipe Gonzalez with having four games in a 10-day stretch so they mixed up their roster with some first-year players or players who haven’t played often for the Sockers.

Forward Tavoy Morgan was the first to put the Sockers on the board with a goal with 1:03 left in the opening quarter. He added a second goal to start the second quarter that tied the game up.

Captain Kraig Chiles, fresh off a hat trick on Jan. 15, put the Sockers ahead for the first time in the game with 1:29 to play in the first half.

Midfielder Charlie Gonzalez’s two goals in the third quarter put the Sockers back on top after the Outlaws struck first blood in the second half. Gonzalez scored a point in each of the Sockers’ seven wins this season.

Texas forward VcMor Eligwe was left wide open on the power play to Snaer-Williams’ right and put the shot to the top right corner of the goal to cut the Sockers’ lead in half.

Morgan added some insurance in the fourth quarter with his third goal for his second hat trick of the season.

San Diego forwards Gabriel Costa and Juan Salazar were each given yellow cards in the second half for delay of game.

Goalkeeper Xavier Snaer-Williams made four saves over the last 23 minutes in place of Pardo who became the first MASL goalkeeper to play 10,000 minutes before he was given the rest of the night off.

Head coach Phil Salvagio tried to challenge a handball in the Outlaws half but the referees never saw the flag until it was too late to challenge. Salvagio took the flag back but never challenged another call.

Up next: The Sockers travel up north to face the Empire Strykers in Ontario, Calif. on Monday, Jan. 20 at 6:35 p.m. PT.