No Defeat for the Weary: Sockers Hold Off Wichita

The Sockers, coming off Friday’s decisive victory over Dallas but tired of losing games when they’re tired, won a game they had every reason to lose Saturday night at the Sports Arena.

Zoran Karic managed a season-high three assists before he was thrown out on a red card in the third quarter and led the Sockers to a 5-4 victory over the Wichita Wings, the first time this season they have won the second of consecutive-night games.

A crowd of 8,535 saw the Sockers lose Brian Quinn to a knee injury 2 minutes after Karic’s ejection and lose a 2-goal lead early in the fourth quarter, as Wichita tied it at 3-3.

But, as has become custom this season, Branko Segota came to the rescue, dribbling around three defenders to set up Alan Willey’s tie-breaking goal with 9:06 remaining.

Segota then scored into an empty net with 1:11 left to put the Sockers ahead, 5-3. Chico Borja scored with 14 seconds left for Wichita.

The Sockers (11-9) moved ahead of the Wings (9-8) into third place, two games behind the league-leading Baltimore Blast.

After the game in Dallas Friday night (a 7-1 victory), the Sockers could hardly afford to lose two of their key players--Karic and Quinn--with a little more than a quarter to play.

Karic was sent off when referee Herb Silva said he spit on Wichita’s Andy Chapman after the two collided against the boards in the Wichita end.

Karic, who had assisted on each of the Sockers’ first three goals, said he did no such thing but was still gone. Quinn collided with the boards and limped off with 1:31 left in the third quarter. He said after the game that he’d be all right to play Friday night in Kansas City.

After Saturday, Quinn and everybody else can certainly use some rest.

“After the Dallas game, we could have very easily just let this one go,” said Sockers’ Coach Ron Newman, whose team had been 0-4 in the second game when they had to play on consecutive nights. “But we really came through with some hard work. A lot of hard work.”

Zoltan Toth hadn’t worked in four games because of the flu, so he was one Socker who was well-rested. Toth made 14 saves, many spectacular ones in the fourth quarter, to hold off the Wings.

“I don’t think we could have hung on much longer,” Toth said. “When we lost Zoran and then Brian, I wasn’t sure we’d have enough energy left to finish.”

But Segota, always the finisher when it comes to scoring goals, wouldn’t let the Sockers lose.

He scored his first goal early in the third quarter on a give-and-go with Karic to give the Sockers a 2-1 lead.

Then, after Wichita rallied from a 3-1 deficit on two goals by Perry Van Der Beck to tie the game with 10 minutes left, Segota controlled the ball in front despite pressure from three Wichita defenders. He finally worked free to pass, and Willey banked his shot in off the post for a 4-3 lead.

After a scoreless first quarter, Wichita took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the second on a goal by defender Chico Moreira. Chapman set up the score when he dug the ball out of the corner and centered it.

Moreira shot the ball between the legs of Socker defender George Fernandez and beat a screened Toth.

The Sockers tied the game with a power-play goal 5 minutes later and kept Wichita from tying the league record for consecutive penalties killed in the process.

The Wings had killed 16 in a row (Baltimore set the record with 17 in 1986-87), but Steve Zungul scored with 4 seconds remaining in the Sockers’ man advantage.

Socker Notes

Defender Gary Etherington, who underwent preseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and did not score a point in his first 10 games this season, has unexpectedly announced his retirement. Etherington said he made the decision because his ailing knee wasn’t allowing him to play up to his own expectations. “We knew Gary wasn’t 100% satisfied with his performance,” said Socker President Ron Cady said. “But the announcement of his retirement was something we did not expect.” Etherington was signed by the Sockers on Aug. 19 after 4 years with the Minnesota Strikers, who folded in the off-season. But he was injured before the season and wasn’t able to join the Sockers until their 11th game. Etherington, whose speed helped earn a first-team all-MISL spot in 1986-87 and the North American Soccer League’s rookie of the year award in 1978, was unable to run well because of the knee. “I felt that Gary was playing well and making a contribution to the team,” Sockers’ Coach Ron Newman said. “Gary is the one who has to live with his own evaluation, however, and we understand that.” Cady said the Sockers will look to replace Etherington on the roster during the next couple of weeks. “We’ll see who’s available,” he said.