Luckless Lazers Are Beaten in Overtime by Wichita, 5-4

When the Lazers hold a lead late in the game, they have a better chance of winning than most other Major Indoor Soccer League teams.

Lazer Coach Peter Wall agrees, and the fact that the Lazers have scored the fewest goals in the league and allowed the third-fewest makes it easy to understand.

In Tuesday night’s game against the Wichita Wings, the Lazers took a 3-1 lead half-way into the third quarter. But they blew it, and despite three goals by Stuart Lee, they were taken into overtime and beaten, 5-4, before a crowd of 3,440 at the Forum.

Wichita dominated the overtime and, 13:02 into the extra period, midfielder Diego Castro got the game-winner.

The Lazers’ inability to hold a lead caused them to drop their 12th game in the last 15 outings. The Lazers are 6-12, and the Wings are 10-10.

Almost midway through the third period, the Lazers saw their two-goal cushion begin to dwindle.

Wichita defender Al Smith blasted a 35-foot shot past Lazer goalkeeper David Brcic, making it 3-2 in the Lazers’ favor. Shortly thereafter, 8:50 into the same period, Laurie Abrahams tied the game at 3-3, and the Wings began to beat the Lazers to the ball with regularity.

But the Lazers regained the lead on Lee’s third goal of the night, when, just 35 seconds into the fourth quarter, he slid feet-first after a pass by Adam Topolski and knocked it past Wichita goalkeeper Seamus McDonagh. That gave the Lazers a 4-3 advantage.

But the Lazer defense was unable to hold it, and Chico Borja evened the score with a diving header with 4:27 left in regulation.

“We had the game in hand,” Wall said. “When it was 3-1, we should have made it 5-1. We missed chances and when you miss chances, you lose the game.”

The first half was somewhat wild, with both teams unable to maintain control of the ball, occasionally sending errant shots into the mostly empty seats.

But the Lazers were first to snap out of it. Operating on the power-play early in the second quarter, Lee took position near the Wichita net on a Lazer fast break. Zizinho made a long center-pass to Lee, who tapped in the ball giving the Lazers a 1-0 lead.

Wichita tied the score when defender Kim Roentved took a well-timed pass from Mark Kerlin and kicked it past Lazer goalie Brcic 11:23 into the second quarter, scoring his 100th MISL point.

But the Lazers, outplaying the Wings in the second period, regained the lead with a little more than two minutes left when Ivo Surjak lured Wichita goalkeeper McDonagh away from the net and passed the ball to Zizinho, who scored easily, giving the Lazers a 2-1 lead at the half.

Lee got his second goal 1:08 into the third quarter, giving the Lazers the 3-1 lead.