Sockers Earn Another Overtime Victory
One by one, the Sockers’ big goal scorers from the past several years said goodby to the team during the summer. The question often asked was who would provide the offense in the absence of Branko Segota, Rod Castro and Waad Hirmez?
Saturday night, Jacques Ladouceur was one of four to provide answers to that question. He scored two goals to help lift the Sockers to their second consecutive overtime victory in as many nights, this one 5-4 over the Wichita Wings.
The victory moved the Sockers (5-3) to within a half game of the first-place Wings (5-2), who share the top spot with Dallas.
A crowd of 9,689 at the Kansas Coliseum provided the Wings with their first sellout in more than two years.
They watched as Ladouceur broke a string of three unanswered goals late in the third quarter by stealing the ball from goalie Kris Peat, who ventured out of the penalty area, and then booted it into the untended net. That cut Wichita’s lead to 3-2.
Ladouceur has been a pleasant surprise since rejoining the team after a protracted contract squabble. Ladouceur, 32 and in his seventh year in the Major Soccer League, was moved from defensive runner to the midfield as the season began.
Coach Ron Newman was counting on Ladouceur’s experience after the departure of the above listed players.
He has come through, with at least two points in the past four of five games and at least a point in all five.
Ladouceur was joined in the goals column by John Kerr, Paul Dougherty and Tim Wittman.
Kerr, a first-year indoor player, now has a five-game goal-scoring streak and leads the team with seven goals.
Dougherty’s goal created a 4-4 tie with five minutes remaining.
It came on a power play after Wichita’s Chico Borja was given two minutes for an intentional hand ball. It was the 26th power-play goal of Dougherty’s career, which ties him for fifth with Jean Willrich on the team’s all-time list.
Borja’s hand ball thus erased the 4-3 lead he gave his team by scoring a goal 3 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter.
Wittman provided the game-winner 4:17 into the extra period.
It came after the Sockers were awarded a corner kick that referees originally ruled to be a Wings’ goal kick. The Sockers, who had retreated down field in a defensive posture, were called back, quickly gained composure and set up the winning play. Paul Wright was given the assist.
Wright and Ladouceur, who also had an assist, now are tied as the Sockers’ leaders in both points (12) and assists (seven).
Wichita’s Dale Ervine scored one goal and had two assists, pushing his league-leading total to 24 points.
