Tacoma Edges by Sockers, 8-7, Without Zungul

The Tacoma Stars won a big game without their star Friday night.

While his Tacoma teammates played inspired and physical soccer in beating the Sockers, 8-7, in overtime in the San Diego Sports Arena Friday night, Steve Zungul listened to the game on the radio while keeping ice on a pulled groin muscle.

Proving they are much more than a one-man team, the Stars gained an early lead and then kept their composure after San Diego fought back from 6-3 and 7-6 fourth quarter deficits.

With the Sockers playing shorthanded, Star forward Gary Heale scored his fourth goal on a tap-in to give the Stars the victory at 2:09 of overtime.

Heale has scored four goals in two straight games. He first did it against St. Louis Monday night.

The first-place Stars, who are making believers out of the rest of the league, are 7-0 in one-goal games and 4-0 in overtime.

Tacoma has the Major Indoor Soccer League’s best record at 11-2 and leads the third-place Sockers (7-5) by 3 1/2 games in the Western Division.

Friday night’s finish in front of 11,178 was dramatic and controversial.

After the Sockers scored three goals within a span of 3:27 in the fourth quarter, Star forward Preki put the Stars ahead 7-6 on a right-footer with 6:30 remaining.

With 41 seconds left in the game, Jean Willrich blasted a right-footer from the top of the circle to tie the game.

The Stars, meanwhile, argued vehemently that a handball call against Tacoma should have been called before Willrich scored. But all Tacoma got out of the argument was a two-minute dissent penalty on defender Val Tuksa.

The penalty carried over to overtime, but early the 15-minute period, Socker defender Fernando Clavijo was called for tripping.

With six seconds remaining on Clavijo’s penalty, Heale won it for Tacoma.

“It (his injury) was really bad,” Zungul said while listening to the game Friday night. “I said to the coach, ‘Don’t take me,’ I can’t stand to watch in San Diego . . . I’ve played hurt for five games and I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I couldn’t practice. It was ridiculous.”

This comes from a player who said he hasn’t missed a game because of an injury since the 1978-79 season with the Arrows, which was also his first season in the MISL.

“I played with a cracked fibula for six games that season,” said Zungul, the leading scorer in the history of indoor soccer. “I didn’t even know it was broken. Then I missed six games while I was in a cast.”

Zungul wasn’t exactly sure which games he missed in the 1978-79 season, but since then, Zungul has played in 311 consecutive regular season games and 44 playoff games.

Then came Friday night.

No Zungul. In 12 games this year, Zungul had seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points to place third on his club in scoring.

In 31 regular season games since he joined the Stars in last season, Zungul has 72 points on 33 goals and 39 assists. But his value cannot be measured in points. The team had gone 21-10 since his addition.

The Stars entered Friday night’s game with four of the top 10 scorers in the league: forwards Gary Heale, Godfrey Ingram (played for Pittsburgh last season), Preki and Zungul.

Against the Sockers, who beat the Stars in four games in the Western Division final last season, Heale had four goals, Ingram had three and Preki one.

For the Sockers, Willrich scored three goals, Hugo Perez scored twice and Branko Segota and Clavijo one apiece.

But it wasn’t enough.

“These guys are playing pretty good, aren’t they?” asked Zungul as he listened to the game on the radio.

They sure are.