Sockers Stop Struggling, Roll Past Crunch

Anybody seen the Sockers?

Run into them at the movie theater Friday night? The symphony?

There was a team wearing their gold-and-blue uniforms, a team that showed up and played at the San Diego Sports Arena against the Cleveland Crunch. But was that really the Sockers?

In the middle of a season that has been more like one big roller coaster ride, the Sockers forgot about the mistakes, the blown leads and the injuries and stepped on the Crunch, 4-1, in front of 7,370 enthusiastic fans. People could have gone home early. The fourth quarter was just for fun.

“That was good stuff,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said. “It’s starting to come back now. We showed a lot more flair. I didn’t think we gave them a smell of composure.”

This was a game filled with contributions from a new cast of characters: rookies and previously rusty veterans.

Wes Wade, a 21-year old who has only been playing soccer for five years, had the first two-goal game of his short career, scoring in the third quarter to make it 2-0 and again in the fourth to make it 4-0. He has four goals this season.

On Wade’s first, defender Ralph Black took a back-pass off the heel of midfielder Brian Quinn and sent it into the penalty box toward Wade, who stuck out his right foot and deflected the ball past goalie P.J. Johns. Wade found himself wide open 6:49 into the fourth quarter, taking a pass from defender Kevin Crow on the left side of the Crunch goal and sending it past a charging Johns.

Wade wasn’t overly impressed with himself.

“Both passes were right to my feet,” he said. “All I had to do was touch it. If I’d have missed those, I’d have heard about it for a long time.”

Forward Damir Haramina, acquired in a preseason trade with Kansas City, gave the Sockers a 3-0 lead in the third quarter, scoring off a restart from Branko Segota. Haramina hit it with his right foot. Johns froze, and the ball landed in the left corner.

Haramina has been hampered most of the season with an injury to his thigh, which was heavily wrapped with a bundle of ice after the game. It still hurts, but there’s not a better antidote than a goal.

“I feel better,” he said. “I just need to play some games.”

Goalie Victor Nogueira contributed some acrobatic saves down the stretch and finished with six, improving his record to 5-5.

With the victory, the Sockers remained in second place in the Western Division of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Dallas, which defeated Kansas City, 5-4, in overtime Friday, remained 2 1/2 games ahead.

The Sockers (10-10) have defeated Cleveland (9-13) in all three meetings this season. They enter tonight’s game with St. Louis having won two of three on this four-game home stand. Newman would have prefered to win all four.

“Keith Weller spoiled that for us,” Newman said.

Weller is the former Socker assistant who is now coach of Tacoma, which defeated the Sockers, 5-3, Jan. 5 at the Sports Arena.

There were two ways to look at the first half Friday. The Sockers played the same brand of attractive soccer that they did in the second half, winning balls, making artful passes and hustling back to play defense.

Problem was, their lead was only 1-0 at halftime. They should probably have been ahead by a bundle. They outshot Cleveland, 14-4, but a lot of shots bounced off the post or the glass near the post. And Johns made several diving saves.

The lone first-half goal belonged to forward Zoran Karic, who took a pass from midfielder Waad Hirmez, scooted up the left sideline and scored on a left-footed shot from 30 feet that deflected off the back of Crunch midfielder Dennis Mepham.

Midfielder Michael King scored Cleveland’s only goal, taking a pass from former Socker Paul Wright and punching it in with 6:28 remaining.

And so the Sockers begin anew.

“It’s a start,” Crow said.

“We’ve got no choice anymore,” Hirmez said. “It’s time to buckle up, put the belts on and take off.”

Socker Notes

Two Sockers, defender George Fernandez and goalie Victor Nogueira, played in Cleveland for the Force before the franchise folded following the 1988 season. Fernandez began his career with the Force in 1983, playing a season and a half before joining the now-defunct Los Angeles Lazers midway through the ‘84-85 season. Nogueira played for the Force in 1987-88. . . . After tonight’s game against St. Louis, the Sockers go on a four-game trip through St. Louis, Dallas, Wichita and Cleveland. . . . The Sockers scored their most goals of the season in the last meeting with the Crunch, winning 9-4 in Cleveland on Dec. 28. . . . Fernandez extended his team record for consecutive games played to 100 Friday night.