MISL Championship Series : Segota’s Two Goals Lead San Diego to Title, 6-5

Branko Segota scored a pair of goals, and the San Diego Sockers held off a last-quarter, four-goal rally to defeat the Baltimore Blast, 6-5, Saturday and win their fifth Major Indoor Soccer League championship.

It was the fifth championship in six years in the MISL and the second in a row for San Diego, which beat Baltimore, four games to three. San Diego has beaten the Blast three times in championship series play--in 1982, 1983 and 1989.

But the Blast put a scare into the Sockers, scoring four times in 7:27 of the final quarter after replacing goalkeeper Scott Manning with sixth-attacker David Byrne.

Domenic Mobilio led the Blast comeback, scoring three consecutive goals. Kai Haaskivi started the rally with his third goal of the playoffs 3:05 into the final period.

“We tried to cool down and settle down,” said Socker midfielder Steve Zungul, who earned his sixth MISL championship ring. “Even when they started scoring, scoring, scoring, we didn’t panic.”

San Diego goalkeeper Victor Noguiera, who had 21 saves in the final, was named the series’ most valuable player. Socker midfielder Paul Dougherty was chosen the series’ unsung hero.

“You can’t play against Zungul and Segota in a one-game series and expect to win,” Blast Coach Kenny Cooper said. “It’s hard to get any offense against a team that plays a zone defense.”

San Diego, runner-up to the Blast in the regular season, broke open a 2-1 game by scoring three times in the opening 2:33 of the third period.

Segota’s second goal gave the Sockers a 3-1 lead 35 seconds into the third quarter, and Brian Quinn and Zungul scored goals 35 seconds apart for a 5-1 advantage.