Lazers Get Shots, Fall Short on Goals in Loss to Dallas

Given the nature of indoor soccer, with all its bounces and deflections, it’s a wonder that the Lazers had been so successful before Friday night’s game against the Dallas Sidekicks at the Forum.

Prolific goal-scorers Hector Marinaro and Gary Heale weren’t getting enough chances. Before Friday, the Lazers had been outshot, 173-115, but had lost only twice, with both losses in overtime and with a backup in the nets.

“We were outshot in every game, but we were getting the quality shots,” Coach Keith Tozer said of his team’s early success.

On Friday, the Lazers got more opportunities than their opponent for the first time this season; they outshot the Sidekicks, 38-29, and had 4 goals from Marinaro. But Dallas took the quality shots, including 4 goals from Tatu, en route to an 8-6 victory before an announced crowd of 5,182.

The Sidekicks improved to 4-3, and the Lazers, who lost their second straight, fell to 3-3.

Trailing, 5-2, early in the third period, the Lazers mounted an impressive comeback with goals by Michael Collins and Marinaro to close the gap to 5-4.

But each time the Lazers seemed fired up enough to overtake the Sidekicks, Tatu was there.

Tatu, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, made it 6-4 late in the period, but Marinaro closed the gap again with less than a minute left.

Tatu scored his fourth goal at the beginning of the fourth period to make it 7-5, and the Lazers could come no closer.

Dallas had a goal from Michael King with less than a minute remaining, and Marinaro scored his fourth as time ran out.

Newcomer Jim Gorsek, a former San Diego Socker who had been outstanding for the Lazers in the nets, suffered his first defeat of the season, and his goals-against average rose from a league-leading 1.33 to 3.00.

After a scoreless first period, Mark Karpun scored for the Sidekicks with 2:15 played in the second. Heale evened things up 7 seconds later, but Dallas went back on top, 2-1, with 4:17 played in the period when Gorsek kicked the ball off the leg of Karpun. It bounced to Tatu, who tapped in his first goal of the game.