Sockers’ 6-2 Victory Has Rough Edge to It
Those who have been calling for a National Hockey League franchise in San Diego would have enjoyed the Sockers’ 6-2 victory over the Tacoma Stars Friday night.
But they might have been the only ones.
Players on both sides were ducking for cover--especially late in the fourth quarter--after a game’s worth of flying elbows and flying tackles seemed to turn the Sports Arena into a hockey rink.
Some of the 7,630 fans were even skating on thin ice late in the game when they started throwing objects at the Tacoma bench.
But the bench may have been the safest place to be.
“It was really just a vicious game all the way around,” Tacoma Coach Alan Hinton said. “San Diego won in the elbow-throwing department, and we won in the tackling department.”
The Sockers (15-13) won on the scoreboard, too, and as a result hung on to sole possession of second place in the Major Indoor Soccer League, 4 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Blast.
But winning wasn’t the only thing in this one. Survival was also important.
“I was actually worried about myself late in the fourth quarter,” said Socker midfielder Branko Segota, who had two goals and two assists. “They were really coming after us.”
Of course, Tacoma could have been wondering what Segota and other All-Stars such as Kevin Crow were doing still on the field in the final 2 minutes with the Sockers ahead by three.
“We were just trying to run out the clock,” was Coach Ron Newman’s answer.
That obviously didn’t satisfy the Stars, who committed three somewhat flagrant tripping penalties in the final moments, drawing the fans’ ire and forcing the deployment of two of San Diego’s finest behind the Tacoma bench.
“I’m really disappointed in the way this one finished up,” Newman said. “We’re all supposed to be in this sport together, and they had guys going after our people’s legs. I’m just glad we got out of here unscathed.”
The finger-pointing actually started midway through the second quarter, when Segota hit Stars defender Neil Megson with a forearm and was in turn thrown to the ground by Megson. Both benches then emptied.
Penalties were sorted out, and the teams played three-on-three for a while, but nothing critical to the game’s outcome came out of it.
The outcome wasn’t decided, in fact, until the fourth quarter, when a goal by George Fernandez and two by Segota increased a 3-2 Socker lead to the final margin.
Earlier, Preki had scored twice to give Tacoma a 2-1 lead in the second quarter. But Zoran Karic scored on a pass from Segota to tie the game, 2-2, at halftime.
The second half then got a bit ugly, with the Sockers stopping long enough to score four unanswered goals and win their second game in the past three.
The next round is Sunday night in Tacoma.
Socker Notes
A headline from Friday’s Morning News Tribune, a daily newspaper in Tacoma: “Stars will return for another year.” Richard Waltman, a board member and spokesman for the Stars’ ownership made the announcement Thursday night following a meeting of the team’s shareholders. “We discussed the future of the franchise, and I am pleased to announce that our shareholders voted overwhelmingly to continue operations this year and to continue operations for the 1989-90 season.” The announcement is good news for the Major Indoor Soccer League, which needs some. Just two weeks ago, in fact, word out of Tacoma was that the franchise needed more money to continue operations.
Socker goalkeeper Zoltan Toth is still suffering from an inflamed bunion on his left foot and Friday was replaced on the MISL All-Star roster by Wichita’s Cris Vaccaro. Toth was fitted with a special shoe by Socker trainer Bill Taylor this week to try and protect the injury, but Toth said he still felt a lot of discomfort. “A month has passed (Toth was injured Jan. 14), and it hasn’t gotten any better,” Toth said. Brian Quinn, the Socker midfielder who has been out for two weeks with a foot injury, was also replaced on the All-Star roster, by Jan Goossens of Kansas City. . . . The Sockers have signed former San Diego State goalkeeper Felipe Hernandez to a 10-day contract for the second time this season to replace Toth. Hernandez hasn’t played yet, and he didn’t dress for Friday night’s game. . . . Kevin Crow’s first-quarter goal was his 23rd point of the season, a career high. . . . Three players who won’t get career highs this season: Poli Garcia (50 goals last season with St. Louis, one this season), Chris Chueden (26 goals last season with the Los Angeles Lazers, one this season) and Paul Dougherty (40 goals last season for the Sockers, six this year and only one at home).