Preki, Storm Give Sockers No Reason to Feel Welcome

The San Diego Sockers and St. Louis Storm have met three times already in a young MSL season. On the first two occasions, the visiting team acted as the rude guests by beating the home team in overtime.

The Storm made the third time work like a charm and played the role of rude host Friday night under similar circumstances.

Claudio De Oliveira’s goal 1:31 into overtime on a crossing pass from Thompson Usiyan lifted the Storm to a 6-5 victory over the Sockers. The victory snapped the Sockers’ two-game winning streak.

With the victory, the Storm (6-7) wrested from the Sockers (5-8) sole possesion of second place behind Tacoma in the Western Division.

Sockers Coach Ron Newman didn’t pay much attention to the significance of an overtime road loss, but he was disappointed with his team’s second-half play. San Diego blew a 4-2 lead it had midway through the third quarter.

“We thought this was one of the easier games we’ve played,” Newman said. ‘We felt like we had control the entire game, but a couple of lapses really cost us.”

With the Soccers leading 4-2, Preki, the Major Soccer League’s leading scorer, rallied the Storm. His 22nd goal this season, on an assist from Godfrey Ingram, cut the San Diego lead to 4-3 with 7:13 to play in the third quarter.

Preki then tied the game with 1:15 left in the third when he took a pass from Usiyan and put it in a wide open net. Sockers goalie Victor Nogueira had roamed out to challenge Usiyan along the boards. Preki also had two assists, giving him 41 points this season.

“He doesn’t miss when he has an open chance,” Newman said. ‘He’s going to score nearly everytime that happens. We know that.”

Usiyan put the Storm ahead with 51 seconds remaining in regulation. Usiyan had been knocked down to the right of Nogueira, but still settled a pass while on his back from teammate Dan Donigan to beat Nogueira.

The Soccers hardly folded. Waad Hirmez’ second goal of the night seven seconds later on a pass from Paul Wright tied the game at 5-5. Hirmez has scored in six consecutive games and has a point in the last nine straight.

“We knew right then that we had to come back in overtime,” St. Louis Coach Don Popovic said. ‘We’ve lost four games in overtime this year, and three of those were at home. This may be a turning point for us, coming back from a 4-2 deficit.”

Ingram opened the game’s scoring with one minute remaining in the first quarter to give the Storm a 1-0 lead.

Ben Collins tied the score at 1-1 at 1:48 of the second. Emil Dragicevic scored for the Storm at 2:53 of the second to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead. But Wes Wade tied the game with a goal at 8:20.

Rod Castro’s goal gave San Diego a 3-2 lead at 14:13 of the second. Hirmez made 4-2 with a goal at 6:44 of the second.