Sockers Take Over Quarter, Game, Series From Stars

When it comes to the fourth quarter, the Sockers have dominated the Tacoma Stars.

In the 11 games between the clubs this season, the Sockers have outscored the Stars, 28-5, in the fourth quarter. In 15 playoff games between the teams over the past three seasons, the Sockers have outscored the Stars, 32-10, in the final quarter. In the Sockers’ 7-2 victory in Game 3 Wednesday, they scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter.

So on Friday night, playing in front of 7,297 fans at the Tacoma Dome, the Sockers outscored the Stars, two goals to one, in the fourth quarter to win, 7-6.

San Diego won two straight games in Tacoma to win the best-of-five Western Division semifinal series, 3-1, against the team that last season ended their streak of five consecutive indoor championships.

The Sockers will face the Kansas City Comets, winners in three straight over the Lazers, in the best-of-seven Western Division finals. Games 1 and 2 will be played at the San Diego Sports Arena Saturday, May 7, and Wednesday, May 11.

In the Socker locker room after Friday’s game, there was a lot more screaming and jubilation than usual. The Sockers usually wait until they win the championship before really celebrating.

“It’s like they’ve never won anything,” Juli Veee, Socker midfielder, said.

“A lot of them haven’t,” Fernando Clavijo, Socker defender, said.

At one point Friday the Sockers had Hormoz Tabrizi, George Fernandez and Gus Mokalis on the field together.

“Five years I’ve waited for this moment,” said Mokalis, who spent the past five years with the lowly Lazers.

Once again Friday, the Sockers played without midfielders Branko Segota and Hugo Perez (pulled quadriceps), and without forwards Zoran Karic (pulled lower abdomen muscle) and Keder (partially torn knee ligaments).

“Our lads fought like tigers,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said. “They amazed me. Twice we scored seven goals here. It’s not easy without our firepower.”

It was midfielder Raffaele Ruotolo who gave the Sockers a 6-5 lead at 1:01 of the final quarter when his shot off the glass was a ball that was actually kicked in the goal by Star defender Charlie Falzon. That was the second own-goal of the game for San Diego.

With the Stars playing with a sixth attacker, Waad Hiremz gave the Sockers a two-goal lead with 19 seconds to play. Preki scored with seven seconds left for Tacoma, but it was too late.

“We have a lot of character,” said Socker defender Kevin Crow, who scored two goals. “We don’t ever give up. We were embarrassed about that second game (a 4-3 overtime loss at home). We didn’t want it to happen again.”

It didn’t. Friday’s game was tied, 1-1, after one quarter, 3-3 at halftime and 5-5 after three quarters.

Star defender Joey Waters opened the scoring at 2:25 of the first quarter, but Clavijo countered with a short-handed goal at 9:02.

The scoring was fast and furious in a six-goal second quarter.

Socker midfielder Brian Quinn beat goalkeeper Mike Dowler on a 40-footer from the left of the arc at 2:38. Just 38 seconds later, Star forward Gary Heale scored on a tap-in.

Thirty-five seconds after Heale scored, Crow took a pass off the boards from Brian Schmetzer and knocked in a right-footer from straightaway in the penalty area. The Socker lead lasted just 18 seconds before Star forward Peter Ward re-directed a shot by Preki into the goal.

With the Stars playing shorthanded, Preki made it 4-3 on a running left-footer from the left wing at 11:58. Just one minute, two seconds later, San Diego tied the game on a power-play goal that was credited to Paul Dougherty, but was actually put in the net by Star defender Billy Crook.

The Stars regained the lead on a header by Heale at 4:16 of the third quarter, but the Sockers tied it on a right-footer by Crow at 6:35. Crow was ahead of the field when he received a pass from Clavijo.

The score was tied, 5-5, going into the fourth quarter.

“When the quarter started,” Newman said, “we kept yelling to them that this was their bad period.”

And it was the Sockers’ good period and the Sockers’ series.

Socker Notes

Socker management met with midfielder Branko Segota Thursday and Friday to discuss a possible restructuring of his contract, according to Ron Cady, Socker president. “We think it’s important that we solidify the team as soon as possible,” Cady said. “Branko is the key individual on our team.” Segota, the Sockers’ leading scorer the past three seasons, is completing the first year of a three-year guaranteed contract worth approximately $700,000, which makes him the highest paid Socker. Under the new two-year collective bargaining agreement recently agreed to by the MISL owners and players, each team’s salary cap has been reduced from $1.275 million to $900,000 per season and all players with guaranteed contracts must take at least a 15% cut. If they are asked to take a cut of 16% to 30%, they can choose to become a free agent. “For us to keep the core of our team, he’ll (Segota))have to take more than a 15% cut,” Cady said. After the Sockers filed for Chapter 11 under the bankruptcy code Monday, Ron Fowler, chairman of the board of Sockers Management Inc., said the Sockers need to have a nucleus of key players returning in order to help attract new investors. The league stipulates that players must have their new contracts by June 1, and clubs must have their rosters finalized by July 1. . . . Star forward Steve Zungul missed Friday’s game with a pulled calf muscle. Zungul sat out Game 2 and played sparingly in Game 3. “I tried this morning (Friday) in practice, but I was really sore and didn’t want to push it,” Zungul said. “I was 50%. It’s better to have a healthy player. If I could make a difference, I’d go.” . . . If the Sockers advance to the MISL championship series, the seventh game could be played as late as June 11.