Tacoma Maintains Its Edge Over the Lazers, 5-3

Led by high-scoring Preki and Steve Zungul, the Tacoma Stars have been one of the few teams to dominate the much-improved Lazers this season, beating them five of six times before their matchup Tuesday night.

Despite being outshot, 27-17, the Stars made it six of seven with a 5-3 victory over the Lazers before a Forum crowd of 4,409.

Zungul scored the decisive goal with 53 seconds left in the game.

The Tacoma defense seemed to get in the way of every Lazer shot, many of which hit the post, and Tacoma goalkeeper Mike Dowler made 11 saves.

“What did they have, 40 blocked shots?” Lazer Coach Keith Tozer asked rhetorically.

The blocked-shot count was 13, but it seemed like more as the Stars broke up numerous Lazer passes in the Tacoma zone.

Trailing 3-1 late in the third period, the Lazers’ offensive pressure began to pay off as goals by Michael Collins and Thompson Usiyan tied the game, 3-3, 9:12 into the fourth.

But, with a minute remaining, Zungul showed his stuff.

After getting a long pass from Gregg Blasingame, Zungul masterfully dribbled past two Lazer defenders, then turning to his left and blasting a low shot past an off-balanced Brcic, his 41st goal of the season.

Tacoma’s Bill Crook added an insurance goal with 23 seconds left.

“It was a tough one to lose,” Tozer said. They’re a tough team the way they pack it in.”

Zungul, who also had an assist, has 9 goals and 7 assists against the Lazers. Preki, the league’s leading scorer with 44 goals and 42 assists, scored the game’s first goal and assisted on another. He has 10 goals and 7 assists against the Lazers.

“We have some things to work on (in order to be successful against the Stars),” Tozer said. “This team must realize what’s ahead of them.”

The Lazers (20-20) fell to fourth place in the Western Division, a half-game behind the Kansas City Comets, and the Stars (22-20) took sole possession of second.

Lazer Notes

The Lazers have signed three players, all expected to join the club within a week. Steve Boardman and Romero Borja, younger brother of Chico, come from the Lazers’ reserve team, and Tony Blanker, 27, comes via Holland, where he was a forward on two first-division teams. “Tony has exceptional talent and will be a solid contributor in the league,” Tozer said. “These additions will really help us as we begin our push to the playoffs.”