Castro Puts the Spark in Sockers : MSL: A 3-2 victory over Tacoma assures the Sockers a playoff berth.

It’s official. For the 10th consecutive season, the Sockers will enter the playoffs.

They earned that right with a 3-2 victory Thursday night over the Tacoma Stars at the Sports Arena in front of 5,839.

But it’s not the same as it ever was for the Sockers. The victory that assured a playoff berth came thanks to one of the guys previously relegated to the shadows of Branko Segota, Brian Quinn and Waad Hirmez.

Now Rod Castro is pushing his way into the Sockers’ limelight. He did so Thursday night without so much as scoring a goal.

“Rod Castro was bloody brilliant tonight,” said Ron Newman, Sockers’ coach. “This lad had no confidence at the beginning of the year, and he’s playing unbelievable.”

Castro picked up two assists and now has accumulated half of his season’s 30 points in the past 12 games. The Sockers (27-15) have played 42 games.

But the forward doesn’t exactly agree with his coach that he lacked assuredness at the top of the season.

“I’ve always felt I could play,” he said. “Everyone goes through slumps and problems and maybe a week into the thing a felt a confidence problem. But after that, I always stayed positive. I worked hard in practice and waited for my chance.”

Thursday night, he got his chances by giving his teammates chances.

In fact, he was responsible for the winning goal when he took a pass at the red line from Ben Collins, put his foot on it and stood there.

In the past, Castro would have made a spin move. This time he didn’t. Instead, he waited for Collins to make a run past him and as Collins flew by him, Castro back-heeled a perfect pass that Collins one-timed behind Tacoma goalie Cris Vaccaro.

It was the only score of the second half and gave the Sockers a two-goal pad, one that was deflated to just a one-goal margin when Gary Heale scored a sixth-attacker goal with a minute and a half remaining.

Castro was also responsible for the final goal of the first half.

After fighting for the ball with Tacoma’s Nikola Ristic, Castro emerged from the right boards, got through a Ristic tackle and sent the ball into the goal mouth, where Jim Gabarra tapped it into an open net.

That was the only goal of the second quarter and made it 2-1.

Quinn scored the first goal of the game by beating Vaccaro to the left post four minutes into the initial quarter. Quinn’s shot came from the red line--some 50 feet from the goal.

The goal came while Tacoma played short-handed.

The Stars were also short-handed when they tied it at one.

Vaccaro got an assist simply by throwing the ball high into the arena rafters in an attempt to waste time. It came down at the other red line where Heale and Socker midfielder Waad Hirmez jousted for it.

Heale gained control of the ball, dribbled in and let go with an off-balance shot from outside and to the right of the penalty area that found its way just under the crossbar.

MSL Notes

The Kansas City Comets this week announced that a plan to keep the team alive for the next three years is three investors short. Current owners, who are among the seven investors already committed, set a deadline of May 1 to secure the additional investors, or the franchise will fold.

The plan calls for each of 10 owners to invest up to $70,000 a year. It is hoped that by the end of three years interest in soccer will be boosted by the 1994 World Cup and the franchise could support itself.

Commissioner Earl Foreman told the Kansas City Star, “I think it was a good move and I think they will be successful . . . they’re 70% there--that’s how I look at it.”