The Magic Number Is 4 for Sockers : Willrich and Quinn Score Twice Each in 10-5 Win Over Comets
The magic number is four.
With one game to play before the All-Star break, the Sockers are 24-7 and only need to win four of 17 games in order to clinch a playoff spot.
Speaking of numbers, how do 10, 8, 7 and 10 sound?
It’s not a countdown. It’s the game-by-game scoring totals of the Sockers since they sold high-scoring forward Steve Zungul to the Tacoma Stars Feb. 4.
Friday night in the San Diego Sports Arena, a crowd of 9,826 saw the Sockers defeat the Kansas City Comets, 10-5, in a Major Indoor Soccer League game.
The Comets led, 3-2, after one quarter, but San Diego’s run-and-shoot offense scored seven unanswered goals to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 10-4 lead.
“They could have scored 15 or 20,” said Comets goalkeeper Alan Mayer, who used to play for the Sockers. “It was an incredible shootout. Losing Steve (Zungul) hasn’t seemed to hurt them much.”
On the contrary, San Diego has won four straight by scores of 10-6, 8-7, 7-4 and 10-5.
“Everybody is working a little harder since Steve left,” George Katakalidis, Socker defender, said. “We’re making up for his absence.”
Jean Willrich and Brian Quinn scored two goals apiece and Katakalidis, Wadd Hirmez, Ade Coker, Hugo Perez, Branko Segota and Kaz Deyna added one each.
When Deyna scored on a right-footer on two-on-one break midway through the third quarter to make it 8-4, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
It was Deyna’s first goal since he scored in the opening game of the season in Baltimore Oct. 25. Deyna, who entered the game with just one goal and five assists, gained an assist just 19 seconds before he scored.
As is usually the case with the Sockers, there was almost as much action off the field as there was on it Friday night.
Bob Bell, Socker owner, confirmed that there has been pressure put on him by his 12 minority owners to make the team show a profit.
“The limited partnership agreement contains certain performance clauses stating how well the club must do (financially),” Bell said. “If it doesn’t perform at certain levels, more control will be given to the minority owners. It is an adjustment clause in the percentage of ownership.
“But I’d still be the general partner and would control the club . .
In another financial matter, it was reported in a local paper Friday that a story in the Chicago Tribune claimed that Bell owed Steve Zungul $12,000 at the time Zungul was sold to Tacoma Feb. 4.
Bell said he had the money for Zungul at the time Zungul was sold and he gave it to Sockers Coach Ron Newman to give to the player when the Sockers went to play the Stars in Tacoma Feb. 9.
“He (Zungul) actually left the club owing us $3,000,” Bell said. “He is the only player we’ve had who was paid one month in advance.”
Bell said Zungul was paid for the period of Feb. 5, when he left the team, through March 5. “Either Steve or Tacoma owes us for that month,” Bell said.
Before Friday night’s game, Newman handed the press a two-page typewritten statement that addressed the matter of calling timeouts and bringing in an extra attacker in the final seconds of one-sided games.
The following are excerpts from Newman’s “A Bum Rap”:
“In the press a Lazer player made a comment that it would make more sense if they (the Sockers) were a goal down but it was stupid to do it when they were leading by three. Well the stupidity lies with the uninformed and unimaginative.
“However, because of the fuss made by coaches and players who claim our motives are to ‘rub it in,’ we are finding it difficult to use this avenue to improve our next game without causing screaming sessions from the other bench . . .
“Coaches and players must also realize in the precarious position of our game at present, we have a responsibility to the fan. And that is to give them full value for their money. Any team that lets down, win or lose are committing a gross disservice.
“The coaches and players that persist in burying their heads in the sand will ultimately get kicked in the butt.”
