Sockers Top Comets in Rough One
It was definitely not a night for goalkeepers.
“Goalkeepers, history,” said Socker goalie Zoltan Toth after San Diego defeated the Kansas City Comets, 5-3, in front 8,946 fans Friday night in the San Diego Sports Arena.
Jim Gorsek, the Sockers’ starter in goal, suffered a broken left hand and will be out of action for four to six weeks.
Comet goalkeeper Alan Mayer--a longtime favorite in San Diego when he played for the Sockers--suffered a laceration over his left eye and a concussion and was taken by ambulance to Sharp Cabrillo Hospital.
Toth, who replaced Gorsek with 2:29 left in the first quarter and made 12 saves on 21 shots, suffered a bloody gash on the bridge of his nose.
“It was a bad day for the poor old guys who get beat up each day,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said.
Gorsek’s injury: He was kicked in the hand by Comet midfielder Jorgen Kristensen, who was celebrating his 40th birthday Friday.
“I came flying across and just as I got my hands on the ball, I was kicked in the hand,” Gorsek said. “My hand was numb and I couldn’t bend my fingers.”
Gorsek hadn’t had the hand X-rayed when he spoke to reporters, but he said he knew it was broken.
“It’s broken,” Gorsek said. “It’s broken. I don’t have to have it X-rayed.”
Fortunately for the Sockers, who do not have a third goalkeeper on their roster, they only play three games in the next 15 days.
Mayer’s injury: With 5:07 to play in the game, Mayer was sliding to kick the ball away when he was kicked by Socker defender Waad Hirmez. There was blood on Mayer’s face and he was helped off the field by his teammates. Mayer made 13 saves on 26 shots. He shut out the Sockers in the first half, but San Diego scored for four goals in the third quarter.
Trailing, 1-0, early in the third quarter, Socker defender Brian Schmetzer scored his first goal of the season on a 25-footer from the right wing to tie the game. At 5:05, Comet midfielder John Bain tapped in a rebound of a drive by Jorge Espinoza to give the Comets a short-lived, 2-1 edge.
At 6:55, Jean Willrich scored a power-play goal on a right-footer from the right of the circle to tie. Just 16 seconds later, Goossens put the Comets back on top, 3-2.
And just 27 seconds after Goossens’ score, Socker midfielder Cha Cha Namdar stole the ball from Dave Boncek in Socker territory, dribbled to the left part of the box and slid a grounder past Mayer to make it 3-3. It was Namdar’s first goal of the season.
San Diego took the lead for good on a goal that was vintage Juli Veee. Willrich blasted a shot off the left board and Veee, positioned perfectly in the center of the box, knocked in a header for the game-winner.
Socker Notes
Before Friday night’s game, the Sockers announced they will hold a major press conference at noon Tuesday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. A source within the San Diego organization said the Sockers will announce that midfielder Branko Segota is either signing a multi-year, million-dollar contract (which has been in negotiation since the preseason) or that he is playing out his option this season. The matter will be finalized by Tuesday. On Friday night, Segota said he will know more about his status Monday. There is also expected to be an announcement involving Juli Veee and Ade Coker, both of whom have been the subject of recent trade rumors. . . . Coker sat out Friday night’s game with the flu and Jacques Ladouceur did not dress. Instead, Coach Ron Newman played George Katakalidis and Carlos Melian. Ladouceur had played in 64 straight regular-season games, which is second on the all-time Socker list behind defender Gert Wieczorkowski, who played in 76 consecutive games from 1981-’82 through 1983-’84. Melian played in his first regular season game for the Sockers.
