Zungul Goes Out on Strange, Losing Note : He Ends His Socker Career As a Goalie in 4-3 Defeat
There must be an even higher source than the “Lord of All Indoors.”
Steve Zungul’s career with the Sockers certainly did not end in storybook fashion Wednesday night.
Actually, there was something ironic and almost eerie about Zungul ending his career with the Sockers as a goalkeeper.
The greatest scorer ever to play the indoor game was wearing Zoltan Toth’s green jersey when his career in San Diego--and the Sockers’ 13-game winning streak--came to a sudden halt Wednesday night at the San Diego Sports Arena.
In a game every bit as odd and unpredictable as the pre-game hoopla surrounding it, the Minnesota Strikers fought back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Sockers, 4-3.
For the record, Zungul scored a goal, had an assist and received a heartwarming reception from the crowd of 10,665.
That was expected.
Zungul spent the final 2:04 of his final game as a Socker in goal.
That was unexpected.
But most surprising was the final score.
San Diego lost for the first time since Dec.22, when the Lazers beat them, 6-4, in Los Angeles. The last time San Diego lost at home Dec. 7, when the Strikers edged them, 3-2.
Zungul was sold to Tacoma Tuesday, but was given permission to play a final game with the Sockers Wednesday night. Yes, that is very unusual. Zungul will officially become a Star today.
“Disappointed?,” asked Zungul after the game. “Why should I be disappointed? It was a tough game, We played hard. They scored goals on deflections and luck was totally against us.
“Overall, it was a very touching night. I thank all the fans in San Diego and hope this won’t be the last time I play here.”
Does Zungul know something we don’t?
At the moment, however, it appears that Zungul will end his Socker career with a defeat.
“It was almost like tonight’s game was destiny,” said Sockers owner Bob Bell. “We had so many chances in the second quarter, and when we didn’t score, I had a bad feeling. The players wanted it so badly for Steve.”
Said Sockers midfielder Branko Segota: “I think at times I was trying too hard to set him up and then wait for him.”
San Diego played a very inspired first quarter, but scored only one goal against a tight Minnesota defense and the exceptional play of goalkeeper Tino Lettieri.
Brian Quinn’s shot from the top of the circle gave San Diego a 1-0 lead. Quinn received a pass from Zungul on a free kick and blasted the ball past Lettieri.
After Hugo Perez scored on a whistling left-footer into the right corner, the Sockers gave the Strikers an easy goal. Defender Kevin Crow’s pass to Toth was stolen by Chris Dangerfield, who easily kicked the ball into an open net.
With 52 seconds to play in the half, Zungul’s right-footer from inside the penalty area whizzed by Lettieri. Zungul waved his fists, clapped his hands and joined with the crowd in a special moment.
The Sockers should have gone to the dressing room with a 3-1 lead, but a deflection off Fernando Clavijo’s face resulted in a chip shot for Thompson Usiyan with 10 seconds to play.
It was not a good omen for San Diego.
Rallying behind the play of Lettieri, the Strikers controlled the third quarter. Early in the period, Jan Goossens scored on a right-footer to tie the game.
Shock really set in at the Sports Arena when Alan Willey’s right-footer went into the far corner of the net to give the Strikers a 4-3 lead 6:30 into the quarter.
“We’re not a good side if we don’t dictate the game,” said Sockers Coach Ron Newman. “We let the game get away.”
And they let Zungul get away.
As Bell and Zungul sipped champagne in the locker room after the game, Bell paused and said: “I’m sure gonna miss that guy.”
Socker Notes--San Diego defender Fernando Clavijo and midfielder Brian Quinn were selected by Western Division Coach Ron Newman to play for the West in the MISL All-Star game in Chicago Feb.18. They join teammates Branko Segota, Jean Willrich and Kevin Crow, who were voted onto the team by their peers last week. Steve Zungul, the top vote-getter among all the players, will represent Tacoma . . . Quinn will miss the Sockers’ game against Wichita Friday night because he has 20 penalty minutes this season. Quinn entered Wednesday’a game with 18 penalty minutes and picked up a two-minute delay of game penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in the third quarter. He was called for the foul when he kicked the ball in the corner after the official whistled a foul on him.
Zungul Statistics With Sockers REGULAR SEASON Year Games Goals Assists Points * 84-85 48 68 68 136 ** 85-86 26 28 33 61 PLAYOFFS 84-85 13 13 24 37 *--MISL scoring champion **--leads MISL in scoring
