Sockers’ Defense Missing in 5-4 Loss

Maybe the Sockers should play all of their games on the road.

They have lost all three of their games in the Sports Arena this season, despite winning three of five away games.

Thursday night’s malady was a defensive breakdown early in the third quarter that led to a 5-4 overtime victory for the Baltimore Blast before 4,490, the third-smallest crowd for a soccer game at the Sports Arena, and the smallest since Dec. 2, 1982 (4,672).

“This is the thing,” said Sockers Coach Ron Newman. “When we’re on the road, we’re ready to do battle, but at home . . . “

Newman paused, then said, “Baltimore had rookie players beating us to the ball on the boards and banging it into the middle. They beat us on every 50-50 ball tonight.”

And Mike Stankovic beat everyone to a Waad Hirmez rebound five minutes into overtime to start the play that led to victory. He dribbled downfield on a three-on-one break before passing off to Billy Ronson, who shot it past goalie Victor Nogueira.

It was the Blast who had to force overtime by going to a sixth attacker late in the fourth quarter. Dominick Mobilio ran on to Stankovic’s rebound in the goal box and hit it into an unguarded net with 36 seconds left.

It was Mobilio’s second goal of the game and it wiped out a second Sockers’ lead.

The Sockers spent the fourth quarter using a deft passing game to forge a 4-3 lead.

Midway through the quarter, Ben Collins threaded a pass from midfield to a streaking Paul Wright along the right boards in his attacking third. Wright was marked tightly by Stankovic, but Collins’ pass still made its way to Wright. Wright immediately fired a shot that beat Baltimore goalie Hank Henry to the far post, tying the score 3-3.

Three minutes later, Brian Quinn fooled two Baltimore defenders by faking a shot from just outside the penalty area, then put a pass by Hirmez at the left post. Hirmez tapped it in for a 4-3 lead that lasted until Mobilio put the game into overtime.

But it was the third quarter that did in the Sockers.

It was as if the Sockers decided they didn’t need to get anyone back on defense, what with Nogueira looking invincible by making 11 saves and shutting out the Blast in the first half.

So in a span of two minutes three seconds the Blast scored three times to erase a two-goal Sockers lead.

First, Baltimore forward Dominick Mobilio slipped behind defender Alex Golovnia and took a pass from Angelo Panzetta, who had sent the ball into the penalty area from the midfield stripe. Mobilio turned on the pass and sliced it by Nogueira.

Next, Chris Haywood stepped into the middle of the goal box unmarked and took a centering pass from Mark Mettrick. He redirected it into an open net.

Finally, the Sockers did get someone back on defense, Michael Collins, who was marking Tim Wittman as Wittman made a run in front of the goal.

Maybe it would have been better were no Socker came back on defense. Collins got to Dale Mitchell’s centering pass before Wittman, but he inadvertently knocked it between the left post and Nogueira.

So much for a 2-0 halftime lead.

The Sockers’ first goal came 1:18 into the second quarter when Wright, just outside the right corner of the penalty area, first-timed a pass from Ben Collins and beat Henry on the left side.

The play started when Baltimore’s Mike Reynolds, guarding the near post on a corner kick, headed the ball clear of the box, but right to Collins.

The goal atoned for Wright’s inability to get off a shot on a shootout attempt, which came earlier in the quarter, within the allotted five seconds. The shootout was awarded when Wright was tackled from behind by Angelo Panzetta, who went off for two minutes.

With the goal, Wright made it five consecutive games in which he has scored at least a point.

Later in the half, the Sockers were awarded their second shootout of the game when Mitchell reached up and deflected a Hirmez shot with his hands.

Jim Gabarra took it dribbled twice and sneaked a shot under the on-charging Henry to become only the second Socker to score a shootout goal. Branko Segota has the other five.

Socker Notes

Neither team managed a shot until 10 minutes 57 seconds had elapsed, then Baltimore’s Dale Mitchell fired from just inside the red line. . . . Thursday’s game marked the 10th anniversary of the Sockers’ first indoor game, a 6-4 loss at Tulsa Nov. 15, 1980. Coach Ron Newman is the only member of that team still with the club. . . . The league announced that Kansas City’s’ Ted Eck and St. Louis’ Fernando Clavijo will join the U.S. national team this week as it prepares for games against its old nemesis, Trinidad and Tobago. “We are most pleased that our players will be given an opportunity to represent their country,” said Earl Foreman, MSL commissioner. Well, sort of. Clavijo is a native of Uruguay.