Sockers End Lazer Road Streak, 9-4

The Sockers spent this past week traveling through the freezing Midwest, and the Lazers spent it practicing at home in Los Angeles.

The Sockers were tired, and the Lazers well-rested Saturday night.

So what happened at the San Diego Sports Arena?

The first-place Sockers, who got stronger as the game went on, scored eight second half goals to defeat the Lazers, 9-4, before a season-high 10,400 fans.

San Diego (16-6) has won 4 games in 5 nights, 9 of their last 11, and they lead the Lazers (10-9) and Tacoma (11-10) by 4 1/2 games in the Western Division of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The loss snapped the Lazer’s five-game road winning streak.

Branko Segota, who missed Friday’s game with a groin strain, scored a hat trick, Waad Hirmez and Paul Dougherty scored two goals apiece and Kevin Crow and Keder added a goal each for the Sockers. Chico Borja, Chris Whyte, Thompson Usiyan and Mark Frederickson scored for the Lazers.

The Sockers’ victory was the culmination of a long day that started with a flight from Minnesota that arrived in San Diego at 2 in the afternoon. San Diego defeated the Sting at Chicago Tuesday, the Steamers at St. Louis Wednesday and the Strikers at Minnesota Friday.

The Lazers had not played since losing to St. Louis at home last Sunday night.

On Saturday, Los Angeles led, 2-0, after one quarter on goals by Borja and Whyte. Hirmez scored in the second quarter to make it 2-1 at halftime.

The Sockers outshot the Lazers, 18-6, in the first half, but it wasn’t until the third quarter that they started cashing in. San Diego scored four goals to take a 5-3 lead.

Frederickson scored a short-handed goal at 2:48 of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 5-4. But Dougherty combined with forward Zoran Karic on a picture-perfect power-play goal to make it 6-4 at 3:21.

Dougherty scored another power play goal to make it 7-4 at 10:52 and Segota added the final two.