Final Twist Wins for Sockers in OT

The lights dimmed. The crowd of 5,792 Tuesday night at the San Diego Sports Arena began to make noise in anticipation of player and coach introductions.

The announcer called for Ron Newman, the Sockers’ coach. The spotlight marked the spot where he was supposed to run out and wave to everybody. And . . .

And he wasn’t there. It took two more announcements before he made it.

What an appropriate way to kick off this crazy little game against the Kansas City Comets (4-6) that took more twists and turns than a piece of taffy. The Sockers played their worst first half of the season, a great third quarter, a nice three minutes and 10 seconds in the fourth and a shaky remainder of regulation. Then, in typical suspenseful fashion, the Sockers (5-5) got a close range goal 5:18 into overtime from Waad Hirmez to win, 5-4, and avoid losing four consecutive games for the first time since April 1988.

“That was the worst half this season,” Newman said. “We had to go like crazy to get back in the game. That is the win we needed to give us some leeway.”

The Sockers are now 1 1/2 games behind first-place Dallas in the Western Division of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

“We’ll catch up,” promises Hirmez.

It wasn’t until 5:10 into the third quarter that Branko Segota breathed life into this battered bunch, who are missing starters Brian Quinn, Ralph Black and Zoran Karic, as well as a good deal of their supporting cast. He scored the Sockers’ first goal of the game and, in the process, got his 254th goal to tie Juli Veee as the Sockers’ regular season scoring leader.

On the play, Segota trapped the ball off the boards, tapped it a few feet away, wound up and sent a 30-foot scorcher by goalie Jim Gorsek, a former Socker.

Later in the third quarter, Socker defender Kevin Crow sent a shot off Gorsek’s chest and Rod Castro followed with a right-footed goal to tie the score, 2-2.

By early in the fourth quarter, it appeared the Sockers had the game nicely under control. Midfielder Rene Ortiz scored the go ahead goal and his first of the season with 1:36 remaining in the third, and midfielder Jacques Ladouceur took a shot that deflected off Comet defender Ed Anibal and into the goal.

But the Sockers seemingly comfortable lead melted away a few seconds later when Kia and Jan Goossens scored in the span of 21 seconds to tie the score at 4-4.

It was really a wonder the Sockers managed to survive the first half. There was a handball penalty called on midfielder Jacques Ladouceur two minutes into the game. Goalie Victor Nogueira deflected forward Dale Mitchell’s shootout attempt. Then, things got worse. Forty two seconds after the shootout, Mitchell got a goal after all, taking a pass from defender Greg Ion and driving it by Nogueira.

Kansas City increased its lead to 2-0 with 5:16 remaining in the second quarter, forward David Doyle taking a pass from Jan Goossens and sending it by Sockers Rod Castro and Cacho and into the right corner of the goal.

Though the Sockers’ sleepwalk ended temporarily in the third quarter, there were again indications in the fourth that this team has trouble existing with so many injuries. The defense is thin without Black, the offense misses Quinn’s passes and Karic’s scoring punch.

Maybe some good will come of it.

“If you look at the upside,” Quinn said, “the fact that (the young players) are going to play now is going to help us in the long run.”

No excuses will be offered.

“Late in the game we start to lose concentration at times,” Crow said. “We’ve got to learn how to put a team away.”