Sockers Race Past Beleaguered Wings

The San Diego Sockers hummed like a Mercedes Benz on the Autobahn as they raced to an 8-2 victory here Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Roy Turner, president and coach of the Wichita Wings, said injuries had left him feeling like a mechanic with no parts.

The victory put the Sockers in a tie with the St. Louis Storm for first place in the Western Division of the Major Soccer League.

Three key parts for the Sockers were were goalkeeper Victor Nogueira, who earned his 20th victory, defender Kevin Crow and rookie David Banks.

The Wings played conservatively, trying to create chances by dumping the ball over the Sockers’ pressure into the corners and going after it.

It didn’t work. Crow and Banks and the Sockers defenders picked off several passes. Banks gave Nogueira credit for that. He said the defenders were able to front the Wing forwards and let Nogueira clean up all the long balls.

“Victor is like another defender back there sweeping up,” Socker Coach Ron Newman said. “I could use him as a defender if I needed to. It didn’t look like he had a lot to do at times, but at key times he pulled off some brilliant saves.”

Nogueira found plenty to keep him busy. He faced 25 shots and made 16 saves. He is the first keeper to win 20 games this season.

Banks was the object of the Wings’ attention. He was hammered and elbowed by forward Brad Smith, jumped on by Jason Hasford in a leap for a header, stomped on by defender Terry Rowe.

Banks said the rough stuff doesn’t work with him. “I’m only a rookie but I’m a lot stronger than that.”

Paul Dougherty and Branko Segota scored two unassisted goals in the third period to break the game open at 4-2.

Dougherty ended 9 1/2 scoreless minutes of play when he ran onto a bad pass by Vincent Beck and scored from 30 feet.

Segota scored from 52 feet on a restart just outside the redline after being kicked by Wings forward Dale Ervine. Segota bent the shot into the upper right corner of the goal to make it 4-2.

The Wings jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second period when Ervine turned on a defender and scored from 53 feet.

Steve Pittman got the Wings even at 1-1 when he beat Nogueira on a shootout. That came when Socker defender Alex Golovnia was penalized for holding forward Brad Smith on a breakaway.

Golovnia had already been tossed into the penalty box along with the Wings’ David Byrne in the same period for ungentlemanly conduct. Golovnia knocked Byrne down after they collided on the sideboards.

Speedy Socker forward Paul Wright, headed for his first all-star game appearance in Kansas City Wednesday, got the Sockers on the scoreboard first. He turned on Beck just inside the penalty area and scored from 23 feet.

Waad Hirmez’s 32nd goal squared the match at 2-2 two minutes before halftime. He scored it on a restart from the sideboards, whacking a 50-foot shot inside the far post.

Wright and Hirmez also scored again during the Sockers’ second-half blitz.