Sockers Blow a 5-0 Lead but Win in Overtime, 6-5

Something just had to give Sunday night, when two struggling Major Indoor Soccer League heavyweights met in front of 9,160 fans.

Yet neither side would give in easily, and the Sockers had to go to overtime to earn a 6-5 victory over the reeling Cleveland Force.

‘That’s the way things seem to go when you’re in a losing streak,” said Force Coach Timo Liekoski, whose team has lost eight of its last 11 games and fallen out of the Eastern Division lead.

‘Yes, things do seem to go against you when you’re struggling a bit, but don’t ask me for sympathy,” said Socker Coach Ron Newman, who wasn’t even around to see Keder’s game-winning goal at 5:58 of overtime.

Newman had been ejected at 3:11 of the fourth quarter, in the midst of an improbable Cleveland rally from a 5-0 deficit.

The Sockers (25-9) stormed to the lead on two goals by Waad Hirmez, another by Paul Dougherty, one by Keder and a breakaway effort by defender Kevin Crow.

Hirmez opened the scoring 1:03 into the game by converting the rebound of a shot by Juli Veee that goalie P.J. Johns had stopped but could not control. Hirmez’s second goal, at 6:58 of the second quarter, deflected in off defender Pasquale DeLuca and put the Sockers in front, 4-0.

‘Then the referees decided to give Cleveland a little bit of help,” said Newman. ‘I mean, the officials were off dreaming somewhere.

“The thing of it is that in 35 years in this sport as a player and coach, that’s the first red card I’ve ever gotten. I was quite proud of that (record), but this guy (Raul Dominguez) just spoiled it.

“I usually know how far I can go with a ref, then I back off. But this guy never gave me a chance.

“I simply said, ‘This is the worst display of officiating I’ve ever seen,’ and he gives me a yellow card. So I said, ‘Oh, yeah?’ and he gives me another and I’m gone.”

It was the Force that appeared to be gone by halftime. Cleveland (20-16) had managed only a power-play goal by John Stollmeyer with 3:05 left in the half.

But Cleveland all-stars Desmond Armstrong and Craig Allen dominated the second half. Armstrong finished with one goal and two assists, and Allen had two goals and one assist. He tied the score, 5-5, with 46 seconds left in regulation.

“No doubt about it, we began to play tentatively after we got the lead,” said Newman. “They came at us and we were sitting back on our heels.”

Liekoski preferred to credit his youngsters for rallying in the absence of injured stars Kai Haaskivi, Carl Valentine, Ali Kazemaini and Dennis Mepham.

“Actually, being down 5-0 with the lineup we had was an advantage,” said Liekoski. “Veteran players would have had a tendency to look to another game, but the kids just went right at them.”

Newman conceded that Cleveland worked hard to get back into the game, but he pointed out that the Sockers also were playing with a young lineup.

“This was a game for the young legs,” said Newman, who then pointed to assistant coach Johan Aarnio and said, “Give him the victory here.”

Aarnio, however, remained the obedient first lieutenant to the end.

‘We’re a team. And tonight we won like one,” he said.