Fatigue Stops Sockers; Comets Pass Them By

How’s this for a significant statistic? The Kansas City Comets have outscored the Sockers, 11-1, in the fourth quarter of their four Western Division final games.

The Comets have outscored the Sockers, 8-0, in the final quarter in the past two games.

On Sunday night at Kemper Arena, the Comets scored four unanswered goals in the final quarter to break a tie and defeat the Sockers, 7-3. The victory gives the Comets a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Sockers return to San Diego today, but don’t play again until Saturday night at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Until then, the Sockers will be replaying their nightmarish fourth quarters.

In Game 3, the Comets scored four straight goals in the final quarter to tie the Sockers. Kansas City won the game in overtime on a goal by Dale Mitchell. In Game 1, the Comets scored two goals in the final quarter to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 victory.

The Comets have been a come-from-behind fourth quarter team all season. However, the Sockers used to be the masters at dominating teams during the final 15 minutes.

But not this series.

“We play two, three quarters, but then we’re nowhere,” said Socker midfielder Branko Segota.

Explanations came pouring out of a Socker locker room that was filled with frustrated and angry players.

--Midfielder Juli Veee said the Comets are a better club than the Sockers right now.

“We don’t have the players who can keep their cool when it comes to the nitty-gritty,” Veee said.

--Kevin Crow said the Comets are a much better team than the Sockers in the second half. He also said the Comets’ midfield is taking control of the game, and the Comets are hungrier and fitter.

“A lot of people here haven’t been fit all season,” Crow said. “And then people get injured, and aren’t playing at 100%.”

--Goalkeeper Jim Gorsek thinks the Comets are out-hustling the Sockers.

--Coach Ron Newman said the Comets are outworking the Sockers.

Some of the Sockers said they lost this game in the penalty-filled third quarter, even though the game was tied, 3-3, going into the fourth quarter.

In the first 6 minutes, 47 seconds of the third quarter, the Sockers-leading, 3-2, at the time, were called for three two-minute penalties. San Diego killed the first two penalties, but 25 seconds after the second penalty was killed, Keder was called for an illegal substitution.

“I take responsibility,” Newman said. “He walked right past me. I forgot, he forgot. Coming on when he wasn’t supposed to was probably due to his long layoff and his eagerness to get back on the field.”

Keder had been sidelined with torn right knee ligaments since March 17, and was flown to Kansas City Sunday morning to replace forward Paul Dougherty, who had been struggling in the playoffs.

While the Sockers were playing short-handed because of the penalty to Keder, Comet forward Damir Haramina scored on a right-footer from the left of the arc to tie the game at 7:20.

Not only did the Comets score, but the Socker system, which is based on regular line changes, was thrown out of sync. The Sockers were penalized for their sixth foul of the quarter at 9:51, and therefore had their penalty-killing team on the field for most of the quarter.

“You have to use all the players,” said Veee, who does not play on the penalty-killing unit. “You can’t have all the same players getting taken to the cleaners. They get tired.”

Yet, it was when the Sockers had a power-play opportunity early in the fourth quarter that they gave up the winning goal.

Roentved stole the ball from Crow in the Socker end and set up Mitchell for a right-footer from the left wing that gave the Comets a 4-3 lead after only 11 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Roentved said he didn’t think Crow was expecting the pressure. When Crow was asked if he thought he was fouled on the play, he said: “You didn’t see me complain. Sometimes they call it, sometimes they don’t.”

At 9:50, Haramina scored on a ball that bounced off Socker defender George Fernandez and rolled into the net. The Comets made it 6-3 on a power play goal by Kia 7:19. And Kansas City made it 7-3 on a short-handed empty net goal by Roentved with 30 seconds left.

Segota, who missed the last three games of the Tacoma series with a pulled muscle, said he suffered a pull of the same muscle in the second quarter.