Sockers Cream Crunch
The Sockers finally found a way to solve their defensive shortcomings--forget about finesse and just go on the offensive.
After all, why can’t a team generally considered the most skillful in the league augment its talent with a little tenacity?
The Sockers did just that, and with the help of a five-assist performance by Brian Quinn, it worked in a 9-5 victory Friday night in front of 5,676 at the Sports Arena.
So tenacious were the Sockers (4-7)that Cleveland goalie P.J. Johns was called on to make 12 saves in the first half, 10 in the second quarter. But he must have been wearing a stealth uniform, because his saves went almost unnoticed.
Actually, no one noticed John’s good deeds because they came amidst five Sockers shots that made their way to the back of the net. His 10 second-quarter saves came while the Sockers kicked in three goals to come back from a one-goal deficit and forge a 5-3 lead.
As it turned out, that stealth uniform was really teflon--Johns made no saves in eight minutes of play during the third quarter, but let two goals slip in before he was lifted.
Otto Orf relieved Johns, but the damage had been done, mostly by two Sockers--Quinn and Wes Wade.
Quinn, the consummate playmaker whose sharp passing seems a prerequisite to this team’s winning, finished with a team-record five assists.
Quinn’s first was something of a milestone--it gave him 250 points as a Socker. His fifth was an even bigger milestone. It tied him at No. 4 with Steve Zungul on the team’s all-time scoring list with 253 points.
Quinn’s assists each went to a different teammate.
Quinn, however, would not shoulder credit for this one.
“My game evolves around the team,” he said. “I’m not one of the great individual players like Juli Veee, or Stevie Zungul or even Zoran Karic. I need people to play with. this wasn’t anything great that I’ve done, it was just a better effort from everybody else.”
Rookie David Banks was the beneficiary of Quinn’s first assist. It came on a set play with Quinn taking a corner kick and sending it into the goal mouth, where it bounced off Banks’ right shin and into the goal. It was Banks’ first goal of his career.
Wade was next. He was standing near the right post when Quinn gathered a loose ball just inside of the Crunch’s defensive third. The thing this time, however, was that Johns, the goalie, was somewhere in the midfield, having failed at chasing down a loose ball.
Most other players in Quinn’s position would have fired a shot, but Quinn knocked a gentle pass to Wade, who had an open goal to shoot at.
“It took a lot of composure to do what Brian Quinn did there,” Coach Ron Newman said. “Most players just want to get the ball into the empty net as soon as possible.”
Later in the second quarter, Quinn sent a pass from the right side through two defenders to Waad Hirmez on the left side. Hirmez fired a 35-footer low and just inside the right post.
In the second half, Quinn’s assists went to defender Kevin Crow, who converted for his first goal of the year, and to Paul Dougherty, who upped his team-leading goal total to 12.
Lost in the shadow of Quinn’s heroics was Wade, a guy who didn’t even play soccer while growing up and kicked a ball for the first time only six years ago. Wade finished with his second hat trick of the season.
The victory was the Sockers’ first at home after four losses.
Socker Notes
The Sockers went three for three on power play opportunities as Rod Castro, Waad Hirmez and Paul Dougherty all converted during man-advantage situations. . . . And you thought ex-Charger GM Steve Ortmayer didn’t know what to do with a draft choice. Get this: The Sockers had the first and fourth overall selections in the July draft, but now have nothing to show for them. Marcelo Balboa, the No. 1 choice, decided against indoor soccer and never signed. Eddie Henderson, the second first-round choice, was waived before Friday’s game to make room for defender Garrett Smith. Smith has no indoor experience.