Sockers Fatigued in Defeat : MISL: There was no overtime--and no victory--as Wichita won, 5-3, in front of 8,122.
The Sockers were all set to head into their fourth consecutive overtime game at the San Diego Sports Arena Saturday night when Wichita defender Chico Moreira put a crimp in things.
Less than four minutes remained. In a scrap in front of the Sockers’ goal, midfielder Jacques Ladouceur knocked the ball out of a crowd. Problem was, Moreira was ready and waiting. He dribbled a few feet to his right and drilled the ball into the right corner of the goal, helping Wichita (8-4) to a 5-3 victory in front of 8,122.
After that, the Sockers (6-6) pulled goalie Victor Nogueira in favor of a sixth attacker and Wichita got late goals from midfielders Chico Borja and Dale Ervine to take a 5-2 lead. Socker forward Zoran Karic scored as time right out.
The Sockers, now 1 1/2 games behind first place Dallas in the Western Division of the Major Indoor Soccer League, appeared to run out of steam toward the end. This was the second night of a back-to-back series and the Sockers are plagued with more injuries than they care to count.
“I thought we looked a little fatigued at times,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said. “They managed to keep going a little longer than we did.”
This is why, as explained by Moreira.
“Very simple,” he said. “Everyone played together.”
There were strange moments. Such as the third quarter. Two inches and two seconds were the keys. Socker defender Kevin Crow jumped two inches higher than Wichita goalie Ron Fearon to score on a header and Wichita’s Andy Chapman scored with two seconds remaining in the period.
Crow’s goal, coming 11:16 into the quarter, was quite a thing to witness. Branko Segota pushed a restart kick to midfielder Jacques Ladouceur, who shot. The ball was deflected up in the air by a stray foot in the Wichita defense. Crow leaped. Fearon leaped. The ball went in off the back of Crow’s head. And the Sockers led, 2-1.
“I don’t think (Fearon) saw me,” Crow said.
They were all set to take this lead into the fourth quarter, but Wing forward Andy Chapman had other ideas. Midfielder Pedro DeBrito sent a header from the midfield-line to Chapman, who had slipped behind the Sockers’ defense. The ball never touched the ground. Chapman sent it in from the redline with his right foot to tie the score, 2-2, with two seconds remaining in the quarter.
“That was just a goal we can’t afford to give up,” Crow said. “I think everyone kind of relaxed.”
At halftime the Sockers led, 1-0, though they would be hard pressed to take credit.
Three minutes, 20 seconds into the first quarter midfielder Waad Hirmez knocked a short pass in front of the goal toward Segota. For some reason, Wichita defender Perry Van Der Beck headed the ball past Fearon and into the goal, providing the Sockers with a ready-made 1-0 lead. Van Der Beck used his head, but, when you think about it, he wasn’t really using his head.
The Sockers lead held up for all of two minutes, 26 seconds in the third quarter. Midfielder Goran Hunjak took a crossing pass from DeBrito and sent a 25-footer humming by goalie Victor Nogueira. Thus ended 108:35 of scoreless soccer by the Sockers’ defense.
Thirty nine seconds after Hunjak’s goal, Socker forward Wes Wade was assessed a two-minute penalty for tripping. But the defense, particularly Nogueira, managed to bottle up the Wings’ attack, giving Crow the opportunity to put the Sockers ahead.
Now, the Sockers have to just be patient and await the return of starters Brian Quinn and Ralph Black, whose services are sorely missed.
Socker Notes
Defender George Fernandez played his 92nd consecutive game Saturday night, placing him first on the Sockers’ all-time list ahead of Paul Dougherty (91). Fernandez sprained his right ankle in Friday’s 4-0 victory over St. Louis, and teammate Kevin Crow was giving him the business about making a brief appearance in Saturday’s game just to break the record. Fernandez was having none of that. “I’m definitely going to play until I can’t go no more,” Fernandez said. Keep in mind, though, that Crow would have had a much longer string of consecutive games than Fernandez if he hadn’t joined the U.S. National Team for four games in the 1988 Olympics. “Kevin kind of put me in my place,” Fernandez said. . . . The Sockers play just one more home game in 1989--Dec. 10 against Cleveland. After that they will play three road games--in Wichita, Cleveland and Baltimore--before returning home Jan. 5 against Tacoma.
