Sockers Calm Storm With Overtime Win

For the past week the Sockers have claimed rights to first place in the MSL West with a somewhat frivolous argument--that they own a superior goal differential with the St. Louis Storm.

Going into Sunday’s game in front of 8,774 at the Sports Arena, both teams had identical 22-13 records. Each had beaten the other three times, but in those six games, the Sockers have managed to score two more goals than the Storm.

Thus first place.

Now the Sockers have a three-goal advantage. More importantly, they have put themselves in first by a game over the Storm after slipping by their new nemesis in overtime, 6-5.

How important was it? Consider that Socker Coach Ron Newman talked of the victory in relation to playoff possibilities in his post-game chat with the media.

“Now St. Louis has to beat us by four goals here,” Newman said.

His implication was that if the two teams remain tied for first place at the end of the season--as they have been for much of the past month--the Sockers will get the homefield advantage unless they lose their third-to-last game of the season to the Storm by more than four goals.

That the Sockers needed overtime to gain their one-game pad is an indication of how hard-fought the game--and the series has been. It was the fifth of seven games between the teams that have gone into overtime.

And despite the Sockers pulled away to an early 3-0 lead, they had to come back from one-goal deficits twice in the second half.

Afterward, the Storm had reason to complain:

--They got only two hours of sleep in their Kansas City hotel Saturday night before waking up to fly to San Diego for their second game in 24 hours.

--The Sockers final goal was a cheap one. It came on a free kick taken by Branko Segota from along the right boards. Segota aimed for the far post where Paul Dougherty was trying to sneak behind the defense. No need for the effort, though. The St. Louis defense knocked Segota’s kick in the goal itself.

But the Storm chose not to blame either for the loss. Instead, they blamed the referees.

In particular, they were appalled by a lack of a call just minutes before Segota got help from Storm defender Daryl Doran on the game-winner. On the play in question, Socker goalie Victor Nogueira clearly pulled down Storm midfielder Dan Donigan in the penalty area--and got away with it.

Penalties in the box are usually punished by giving the other team a shootout attempt, then giving the guilty player a two-minute penalty. This time, no whistle was blown.

Thompson Usiyan vented his anger with such zeal after the game that he was issued a post-game red card by the referees.

“If I do that, it’s two minutes plus a shootout,” Toth said. “But they are the home team and the referees don’t blow the whistle. I think that was the game right there.”

Coach Don Popovic wouldn’t comment on the play, but did allude to it when he said, “you saw it. If I say anything about it I’m going to get a thousand-dollar fine from the league office.”

Popovic, however, did not feel as cheated as some of his players.

“You have to give credit to San Diego,” he said. “Usually if we come back from three goals down, you have to give credit to us, but then after we came back, they did not give up.”

In fact, after taking a 3-1 lead into halftime, the Sockers allowed three unanswered goals and trailed twice late in the second half.

Preki, who scored St. Louis’ only first-half goal, made it 3-2 midway through the third quarter after taking a crossing pass from Greg Muhr and tapping it into an open net.

Just two minutes later, David Eise got to a pass from Emil Dragicevic that Socker Brian Quinn got to but couldn’t control. After Quinn redirected it, Eise adjusted his stride, ran on to the ball and hit it by goalie Victor Nogueira.

With 1:30 left in the third quarter, the Storm went up, 4-3, when Preki stole the ball from Ben Collins in midfield, dribbled toward goal and crossed it to Donigan, who put it inside the left post.

Not even three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Sockers’ Paul Wright snapped St. Louis momentum by taking an outlet pass from Nogueira along the right boards, dribbling into the corner and shooting from the most improbable angle on the field.

After Usiyan temporarily restored St. Louis’ edge--finding a loose ball at his feet just to the left of the penalty area and swiftly kicking it past Nogueira--the Sockers again tied it with an unlikely shot.

Waad Hirmez scored around Donigan on a scissors kick.

It was the only way Hirmez was going to put in the pass from Brian Quinn because Dragicevic was right behind Hirmez and trying to muscle him out of position.