Wings Take Flight at Sockers’ Expense : Soccer: Sockers allow Wichita to boost its lead to a full game with 6-4 victory.

The way the Wichita Wings celebrated after beating the Sockers, 6-4, Sunday night in front of an announced 10,112 at the Sports Arena, you would have thought they had just wrested first place from the perennial champions.

Oops. They did. The Wings (7-3) now lead the second-place Sockers (6-4) by a full game.

Oh well, there’s still 30 games to go, and, as Sockers goalie Victor Nogueira pointed out rather sarcastically, “Wichita is always great at the beginning of the season.”

But it appears the Wings are maturing.

Even Nogueira seemed to realize as much, and, after thinking about what he had just said, added, “But they’re a tough team this year.”

Dale Ervine--in his sixth year in the league after being drafted by the Wings in the first round from UCLA in 1986--is somewhat symbolic of the team’s maturity.

Ervine is proving American goal-scorers aren’t extinct, after all. He extended to 10 games his league-leading goal-scoring streak Sunday.

Ervine actually was born in Brian Quinn’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, but moved to Los Angeles seven months later.

Last season Ervine broke Don Ebert’s record for most goals in a season by an American player with 62. Ebert’s old record was 52; he did that in 1981-82 while with the St. Louis Steamers.

With his goal in Sunday’s game, Ervine now leads the Major Soccer League in both goals (18) and points (30). If he maintains his standing, he will become the first American player to win the MSL’s scoring titles.

Unlike some of his European-imported counterparts, he remains humble about his abilities. He answers questions about himself by talking about the team’s improving stature.

“To be a part of this after five disappointing season,” Ervine said, collecting his thoughts. “This is great.”

While an American scoring goals in bunches in the MSL is somewhat rare, it isn’t for Ervine. He led UCLA in scoring for three seasons and in 1985 was captain of the team that won the NCAA championship, finishing his career with 46 goals and 35 assists.

“Obviously, having a father who played professionally in Northern Ireland and who still has contacts, I could have had an opportunity to play over there by getting some people to make some phone calls for me,” Ervine said.

But Ervine preferred to stay put.

“The bottom line,” he continued, “is players in this country can still make a good living playing in the MSL. And what better country is there to live in?”

Yeah, but Wichita?

Actually, Ervine would have preferred to have stayed in Los Angeles. In fact, he was playing outdoor with the Los Angeles Heat of the American Soccer League in 1986 when the MSL staged its first College Showcase game, a chance for coaches to scout prospective draftees. But the Heat wouldn’t let Ervine participate.

“So Peter Wall (Coach of the defunct Lazers) thought I didn’t want to play indoor, which couldn’t have been further from the truth,” Ervine said. “But (Wichita Coach) Roy Turner took a chance on me and thank God he did.”

At first Turner put Ervine on the back line and told him to keep the other guys from scoring.

“It was like, ‘here’s a young American player, let’s put him at the back,” Ervine said. “But I didn’t mind because indoor soccer is such a fast game it gives defenders the chance to go forward.”

Eventually Ervine’s offensive prowess forced a change in strategy. After scoring 11 goals his rookie year and six the following season, Ervine’s production improved to 26 in 1988-89, to 46 in 1989-90 and to 62 last season. “Hey, this game is built for him,” said Sockers defender Kevin Crow. “He has learned the game over the past several years and now he’s taking chances, which is what this game is all about.”

Ervine’s goal Sunday was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Teammate Kim Roentved put a bad pass off the end boards that Nogueira grabbed, but let slip through his hands. Ervine was there to tuck the loose ball into the net.

“We were doing really well at that point, too,” Nogueira said, trying to shoulder blame for his team’s lackadaisical play. “And then I let in that bad goal.”

But the loss was not attributable to one Socker. Too many passes went awry and too many scoring opportunities were not finished.

Part of the reason for the Sockers’ lack of production was Wichita’s hustle. “They came in really determined to get a result,” said Sockers Coach Ron Newman. “And we came in a little bit casual only to find we had a real monster to beat.”