Lazers End Losing Streak With 7-1 Win
With an announced crowd of only 3,393 looking on, the Lazers assured themselves of at least a .500 record this season and almost locked up a bye into the quarterfinals of the Major Indoor Soccer League playoffs with a 7-1 win over the Kansas City Comets Monday night at the Forum.
A win by the third-place Lazers in either of their final two games of the regular season--at Las Vegas Thursday and at San Diego Saturday--or a loss by fourth-place Wichita in any of its final three games puts the Wings into a mini-series and the Lazers automatically into the next round.
On Monday, facing one of the league’s hottest goalies, Manny Schwartz, the Lazers held a 2-1 lead at halftime and scored five unanswered goals in the final two quarters to break a three-game losing streak. Schwartz, No. 2 in the MISL at the start of the weekend with a 3.97 goals-against average, lost for only the second time in his last eight decisions.
Greg Ion got things started in the second half with his 17th goal of the season, Alan Kelley getting the assist. Zoran Savic, positioned directly in front of Schwartz, followed that less than three minutes later with his ninth score to give the Lazers a 4-1 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
With a little more than one minute played in the fourth, Willie Molano got a goal to go with his two assists. Juan Cardenas then made it 6-1 with a nice shot high above Schwartz’s left shoulder, and Batata closed out the scoring with 4:01 remaining.
Tim Harris picked up the win in goal for the Lazers (24-22). Not only did he help stop his team’s losing skid, he had a big role in accomplishing what the Lazers have only been able to achieve once in the three years the teams have been playing: beat the Comets at the Forum.
Benny Tabak scored 7:05 into the game to give Kansas City (20-24) its only goal and lead. From that point on it was all Lazers.
Lazer Notes
The Lazers announced before the game that defenseman Cacho, signed Jan. 17, has been released by mutual agreement. “Both sides agreed when he signed that if at anytime he was unhappy playing here he could return to South America,” said Ron Weinstein, the club’s vice president of operations. “I guess he wasn’t able to adjust and wasn’t overly happy in L.A.” . . . Defenseman Gus Mokalis was named the team’s most valuable player Monday, as voted on by the media, and received a plaque between the first and second quarters.
