The San Diego Sockers welcomed the Ontario Fury for the first game between the two SoCal rivals, and defeated Ontario 4-2 behind a four-goal first half lead.

The Sockers struck first with 16 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Brazilian forward Leonardo De Oliveira scored an unassisted goal in his first game of the season to put San Diego on the board.

In the second quarter of play, the Sockers added on to their lead with three more goals. Forwards Slavisa Ubiparipovic (third goal of season) and De Oliveira (second goal), as well as midfielder Brian Farber (third goal) put the Sockers up 4-0 at the half.

The Ontario Fury were able to shutout San Diego in the third and fourth quarters, however, they were unsuccessful in closing the gap as they were shutout for the first 50 minutes, before cutting the deficit in half in the final 10 minutes.

San Diego’s goalkeeper Boris Prado improved much better after giving up 10 goals in the first two games of the season. Prado dropped his goals allowed average to 4.05 after saving 10 of 12 shots on goal against Ontario.

Leonardo De Oliviera earned first star honors after a two-goal, one-assist night in his return to the starting lineup. De Oliviera was out the first two games of the season with a leg injury, but played a huge role in the Sockers’ second victory.

The Sockers advance to (2-1) on the season with a 4-2 victory in the first night of rivalry. San Diego moves up to third place on their own as they get past the (1-1) Mesquite Outlaws and Tacoma Stars in the MASL Western Division.

The Sockers return to the field on Sunday to take on the (1-3) Sonora Soles at Pechanga Arena San Diego. Kickoff is at 5:05 p.m. PT.