Sockers Beat Odds, Even Series : 6-3 Win Over Strikers Sets Up Deciding 7th Game
On their road to win “One for the Thumb,” the Sockers won one “Against All Odds” Friday night at the Met Center.
Playing in front of a record standing-room-only crowd of 15,944, an injury-riddled Socker team staved off elimination by scoring five goals in the second half to beat the Strikers 6-3.
San Diego fought back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits and took a 3-2 lead on a goal by Jacques Ladouceur with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. The Sockers led the rest of the way.
In their quest for a fifth straight indoor title, the Sockers have won two straight games to tie the best-of-seven Major Indoor Soccer League championship series at 3-3.
A decisive seventh game will be played Monday night at the Sports Arena, where the Sockers are 27-1 in playoff games.
“When we were down 3-1 in games,” Socker captain Jean Willrich said, “we said we are still good enough to come back. We’re still hungry. When nothing is controversial, maybe we are an average team. But we’re always bitching and arguing. Maybe that’s why we win.”
Going into Friday night’s game, this is what the Sockers were up against:
A very hungry and talented Striker team that was trying to bring Minnesota its first professional sports championship since the Minneapolis Lakers won the NBA title in 1954.
Minnesota was 12-0 in home playoff games and had beaten the Sockers twice last week at the Met Center. San Diego had never won in six games played in Minnesota.
Socker starting goalkeeper Zoltan Toth had a 1-7 lifetime record against the Strikers. The Sockers were playing without midfielder Hugo Perez, who is sidelined with a sprained left knee. Perez is San Diego’s second leading scorer.
Once the game started, the obstacles increased.
Socker defender Brian Schmetzer sprained his left knee in the first quarter. He was out.
Willrich pulled his left groin and only played on power-play opportunities during the last three quarters.
Juli Veee hurt his left knee when he was fouled by Striker defender Dwight Lodeweges in the third quarter. Veee played sparingly after that.
“We were running out of players and everyone had to dig deep,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said. “We won with sort of a K mart lineup. And I say that without being rude to my boys.”
Players like Ladouceur (two goals) and Cha Cha Namdar, Gary Collier, George Katakalidis and Waad Hirmez.
“Players who don’t play much won the game for us,” Veee said. “They did marvelous running and played extra.”
Those are players Veee usually refers to as “dogs.”
Of the regulars, midfielder Brian Quinn was all over the field and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on a left-footer that gave the Sockers a 4-2 lead early in the final quarter.
Defender Fernando Clavijo, who scored a power goal on a left-footer to tie the game at 2-2 early in the third quarter, and teammate Kevin Crow spearheaded an excellent defensive effort.
With San Diego leading 4-3 and less than two minutes to play in the game, the Strikers were frantically attacking with six attackers.
That’s when Crow came up with a game-saver. Just as Chris Dangerfield’s shot was about to go in the net, Crow kicked it away.
“Balls were flying around the goalmouth,” Newman said. “Legs were flying. People were throwing their bodies in front.”
After Crow cleared the ball, Quinn pushed it upfield to Segota, who smashed a left-footer into an empty net to ice the game with 1:45 to play.
That was the first time all night the Sockers had any breathing room.
Throughout most of the game, the Sockers were scrambling and dependent on Toth to come up with big saves.
Toth made 13 saves on 31 shots and kept his cool even when he was surrounded by a “K mart lineup.”
“The team looked like a boat that had a big hole in the side and was going to sink,” Toth said.
There were a number of instances when the Sockers could have sunk, but they kept their composure and made the big plays.
“We told each other to be cool and not get aggravated,” Segota said. “The Sockers served one bench penalty and were only called for one penalty Friday night. San Diego had received seven penalties in two games of the series and had eight penalties in their 7-4 victory Wednesday night.
Unlike most of the rest of the series, the Sockers also got some breaks.
“We’re making our own luck now,” Crow said. “The first four games, that wasn’t happening.”
On Friday night the Strikers were the frustrated team.
“We couldn’t penetrate and put the ball in the back of the net,” Striker Coach Alan Merrick said. “We had chances. . . . The players are obviously desperately disappointed. And annoyed with themselves. They feel like with a crowd like that, they should have won.”
Both the Sockers and Strikers went into Friday night’s game feeling that it could very well determine the championship.
Socker Notes Late Friday afternoon, MISL Commissioner Bill Kentling and director of operations James Budish met with Socker Coach Ron Newman, managing general partner Bob Bell, Striker Coach Alan Merrick and general manager Tim Robbie to discuss what he felt were detrimental “non-soccer activities” that have been taking place in the championship series. “Game 6 of the championship series begins a new era in indoor soccer in this country” is what Kentling said he told them. “In the new era, nonsense like taunting opponents, spitting and diving will not be tolerated. I cannot overemphasize the severity of the way these will be dealt with.” . . . Kaz Deyna started in place of Juli Veee Friday night. Deyna made the trip because Hugo Perez is injured.
