Socker Loss to Baltimore Ends Regular-Season Title Chance

Picture an MISL game as a chess match, with San Diego Socker Coach Ron Newman and Baltimore Blast Coach Kenny Cooper as masters.

And then imagine a game in which the difference between victory and defeat is a lowly pawn unwittingly assuming the role of a major player.

That’s what happened Thursday when the Blast ended the Sockers’ slim hopes of winning the Major Indoor Soccer League regular-season title with a 3-2 overtime victory, Baltimore’s fifth in eight tries against the Sockers this season.

It wasn’t a bold move or a cunning defensive strategy that saddled the Sockers with their 10th loss in 12 overtime games. The game was ultimately decided by, of all things, a botched line change.

Domenic Mobilio scored his 36th goal of the season 7:33 into sudden death overtime as the Blast (28-19) reduced the Sockers (25-21) from a would-be title contender to a team fighting to remain in second place.

Mobilio sneaked behind Socker defender Kevin Crow at the right goal post and poked Carl Valentine’s crossing pass past goalkeeper Victor Nogueira for the game-winner with three seconds remaining in a bench penalty assessed the Sockers for having too many men on the field.

“It was a stupid penalty,” said Newman, who was deprived of his 200th career MISL victory. “They didn’t win the game; we gave it to them. We gave the goal away and we gave the game away.”

With two games left in the season, San Diego is only a game-and-a-half ahead of the third-place Dallas Sidekicks (23-22). The Sockers play at Kansas City Saturday before returning to the Sports Arena Sunday for the regular season finale against Tacoma.

Zoran Karic caused the bench penalty 5:36 into overtime. He reached the bench at the end of his shift, but turned around and crossed the touch line on his way back onto the field when Blast midfielder Kai Haaskivi corralled a loose ball in front of the bench.

Unfortunately for the Sockers, Karic’s replacement, Alan Willey, was already on the field. When Haaskivi heard a whistle for a foul and saw four blue shirts surrounding him, he instinctively threw up his hands pleading with referee Gino Dippolito for an illegal procedure call.

“I raised my hand when I heard a whistle and started screaming ‘six,” Haaskivi said. “I didn’t know whether they had six players (on the field) or not, but with four of their guys standing around me, it was worth a chance.”

“I was already on the field when I heard someone yell, ‘Get off,” Karic said. “But it was too late.”

Karic, however, could have shared the blame for the loss with Crow, whose defensive lapses were just as costly and more evident.

Besides not paying attention while Mobilio snuck behind him to score the game-winner, Crow’s inability to trap a ball against his chest allowed the Blast to tie the game at 2-2 1:08 into the fourth quarter.

Byrne intercepted and attempted back-pass to Crow when the ball bounced off Crow’s chest. Byrne then split Crow and Gus Mokalis at the top of the penalty area and beat Nogueira to the right post with a 20-foot shot for his 25th goal of the season.

Tim Wittman gave the Blast a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal 2:41 into the second period. It was Wittman’s seventh shorthanded goal of the season, an MISL record.

But the Sockers didn’t retreat. Newman patiently moved the offense up a notch at a time and the offense finally clicked when Karic and Waad Hirmez scored just 2:27 apart in the third period.

Karic tied the game when his shot off the crossbar hit Blast goalkeeper Slobo Ilijevski in the back and bounced behind him and into the net 7:28 into the third period. It was Karic’s 33rd goal of the season.

The Sockers took their first lead of the game at 9:55 when Hirmez scored his 26th goal of the season.

But Baltimore came back to score the final two goals for the victory.

Newman had a warning for Cooper, whom he brought to the United States from England 21 years ago to tend goal for the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League.

“Just because they won the (regular season) championship doesn’t mean a thing,” Newman said. “It doesn’t guarantee them a thing come the playoffs.”