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Rest Pays Off for Weary Sockers in 6-2 Victory Over Tired Lazers

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The Sockers, who enjoy a day off as much as anyone else, beat a tired Los Angeles Lazers team, 6-2, Sunday night at the Sports Arena, then had trouble explaining why it had been so easy.

A couple of simple statistics helped provide the answer. The Sockers, when playing for a second consecutive day this season, are 0-3. Under the same circumstances, the Lazers, who beat Baltimore Saturday night and then sleepwalked into town, are now 0-4.

Presented with these fool-proof numbers, the answers flowed much more easily.

“I guess there’s something to that,” midfielder Branko Segota said.

Added Coach Ron Newman: “That’s a good statistic.”

At least it worked out in San Diego’s favor Sunday, in front of 7,392.

The statistic didn’t work in their favor Friday night, when the Sockers, playing for a second consecutive night, went flat against Baltimore and lost, 4-2?

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“We were tired that night,” Segota said.

And, so it was that the Lazers were bleary-eyed Sunday.

The Sockers led, 3-2, going into the fourth quarter, but scored 3 unanswered goals as the Lazers drifted into deep sleep.

The Lazers, meanwhile, managed only 3 shots in the final quarter. Afterward, even Lazer Coach Keith Tozker was having trouble keeping his thoughts straight.

“We weren’t fatigued,” he explained. “We were just mentally tired.”

The Sockers, meanwhile, were alert. Losing to the Lazers Thursday night in overtime and to Baltimore Friday had put them in a funk.

A third consecutive loss would have put them into fifth place in the Major Indoor Soccer League.

“The boys knew they couldn’t lose another one,” Newman said. “There was a sense of urgency before this one.”

Things became a bit more urgent after the Sockers (9-9) fell behind, 1-0, midway through the first quarter. Goalkeeper Victor Nogueira let Hector Marinaro’s easy roller sneak between his legs.

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Later in the quarter, Lazer goalkeeper Jim Gorsek returned the favor, however. Gorsek tried to kick away a rolling ball at the left of the goal and whiffed, allowing it to roll to Zoran Karic, standing alone in front. With nothing but net to shoot at, Karic tied the score, 1-1.

After the teams traded goals in the second quarter, the Sockers’ power play produced a 3-2 lead early in the third quarter on Karic’s shot just under the crossbar.

The power play, which had clicked only twice in the previous 5 games, is now only 7 for 33 for the season.

Segota scored early in the fourth quarter, Brian Quinn passed to Ralph Black for a goal midway through the quarter, and Segota scored on a penalty kick late in the quarter to wrap up the victory.

“We seemed to have a commitment from everybody for an entire game,” midfielder Brian Quinn said.

And as a result, they’re back to the .500 mark and snug in fourth place, one game behind Wichita. The Lazers are 8-11.

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“The last 10 minutes of this one was relatively easy,” Segota admitted.

Socker Notes

For the sixth time in seven years, the Sockers received indoor championship rings before Sunday night’s game. Among the no-shows from last season’s champions were Hugo Perez and Juli Veee. Jacques Ladouceur arrived late. Zoltan Toth, meanwhile, got his ring, then told Coach Ron Newman he wasn’t feeling well enough to start the game against the Lazers. So Newman had to go with Victor Nogueira at the last minute. . . . Paul Dougherty, whose consecutive-games streak ended at a team-record 91 games when he didn’t play Friday night against the Baltimore Blast, returned to action Sunday. Defender George Fernandez, who has played in 50 consecutive games, now has the Sockers’ longest streak.

Kevin Crow earned his 100th career point as a Socker when he assisted on Zoran Karic’s goal in the first quarter. . . . Defender Chris Chueden played for the first time in 8 games Sunday. Chueden, who had only 1 point in the Sockers’ first 10 games, was benched by Newman after the Sockers started the season 3-7. Chueden then couldn’t get back into the lineup when the Sockers embarked on a 5-game winning streak. . . . The Sockers play at home only one more time this month, next Saturday night against the Wichita Wings. Four of the Sockers’ next 5 games are on the road, where they are 3-6 on the season. . . . After their 6-2 victory over the Lazers, the Sockers have still scored the least amount of goals in the league (69) and given up the least (65).

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