Zungul, Segota Carry On Their Friendly Rivalry

Some players would be consumed by vying for the MISL scoring title.

Not Steve Zungul and Branko Segota. The two have been the top scorers in the league this year, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at them or hearing them talk about each other.

As Zungul stepped onto the Sports Arena floor for the first time since being sold by the Sockers to the Tacoma Stars Feb. 4, Segota met Zungul and the two shook hands and embraced.

In the Sockers’ 7-3 win, Zungul scored a goal and made two assists for Tacoma to wrap up his seventh indoor scoring title. His three points give him a 10-point lead over Segota in the league scoring race with only four games to play. Segota scored two goals, one on a penalty kick, the other on an assist from Fernando Clavijo.

After the game, Zungul was handed a bouquet of roses by an admirer. Zungul handed them to Segota and gave him a kiss on the head as he walked by.

“He knows it’s over,” said Zungul, who scored five goals and made three assists Tuesday night in Los Angeles. “He knows I scored eight points last night. What can I say? He’s my friend. He knows it’s bye, bye. What’s that song? Bye, bye. . . .”

Zungul had two points by halftime. Zungul’s first assist came only 47 seconds into the game. Zungul hit Keith Furphy on the right side of the box. Furphy drilled the ball into the upper-left corner.

Zungul centered the ball to Bob Lenarduzzi at 6:15 of the second quarter. Lenarduzzi then turned and beat Sockers’ goalie Zoltan Toth.

Segota didn’t score until a penalty kick with 18 seconds left in the first half.

“I almost went over and told him he was playing bad,” Zungul said. “Almost everybody had a point except him. He was forcing. I wasn’t.”

“Actually, it’s kind of fun playing against him,” Segota said. “We were laughing out there. It’s good competition. I kept saying, ‘I’m going to get him, I’m going to get him.’ ”