Crunch Halts the Sockers’ Winning Streak at 11 Games

The Sockers had won 11 in a row and were going for No. 12 against a team that not only was missing its leading scorer, but the MSL’s leading scorer.

Not much of a challenge there, and maybe that was the problem. The Sockers were lethargic at the start and finish. In between, the Cleveland Crunch spiked the longest streak in the Major Soccer League since 1985-86, 7-5, in front of 9,246 at the Sports Arena.

“They’ve won 11 in a row so they expect to win every time out,” said Cleveland’s Dave Hoggan, who, in the absence of Zoran Karic, came through with three goals. “Maybe that has something to do with it.”

Sockers Coach Ron Newman has been saying all along that his team isn’t that much better than the rest of the league, and Wednesday the Sockers proved him right.

They allowed Cleveland to take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. After coming back to forge a 4-3 advantage, the Sockers allowed a string of four consecutive goals from which they couldn’t come back.

From the Sockers’ perspective, the game was summed up on one play in their defensive end late in the third quarter. Kevin Crow had settled a rebound in the penalty area, but, with his back to the rest of the field, did not turn and do anything with it.

The result was Hoggan scoring the last of his goal after racing, not sneaking, in from the midfield and poking it away from Crow and into the net.

That gave the Crunch a 6-4 lead.

The Crunch scored the quickest goal the Sockers have given up this season when Dave Hoggan connected on a pass from Hector Marinaro on a re-start only 48 seconds into the game.

Hoggan was back challenging goalie Victor Nogueira again nine minutes later. This time he let a pass from Chris Szanto come to him off the end boards. Hoggan, just inside the penalty area, dribbled once before hitting it by Nogueira for a 2-0 lead.

It was 3-0 not even two minutes later as George Fernandez collected the rebound of Andy Schmetzer’s shot and let loose with a rocket from just inside the red line that homed in on the right side of the net.

But like St. Louis’ 3-0 lead Sunday, this one would not last.

Thompson Usiyan finally broke the ice for the Sockers with 2 minutes 35 seconds remaining in the quarter. The initial shot was taken by Tim Wittman from behind his red line. Although it was well high, goalie Otto Orf jumped for it anyway. He missed it, allowing it to carrom off the glass and toward Usiyan, who had to leap high to head it past Orf.

That was the first of three Sockers goals within a span of 3:40. Terry Woodberry made it 3-1 two minutes after Usiyan scored by surprising the Cleveland defense with a right-footed shot from some 35 feet out. Woodberry is known for a powerful left foot.

A minute into the second quarter Paul Wright extended his goal-scoring streak to 10 games, a team high this season and a career high for Wright.

The goal came from a set play off a re-start from the top of the arc, the same set play the Sockers have been successful on in five of the past seven games.

Woodberry and Wright line up on opposite sides of the ball. One of them takes a dummy run to upset the defensive wall, the other shoots through it, around it or over it.

This time Wright shot through it after Crunch defenders George Fernandez and Michael King had flinched at Woodberry’s fake shot.

Woodberry scored his second of the half with just over two minutes remaining, this time using his left foot to power a pass from Kevin Crow by Orf.

But 15 seconds later the Crunch began a string of four consecutive goals and rebuilt its three-goal advantage. Hector Marinaro started things with a goal from right in front of the net.

The Crunch’s string continued into the third quarter. Like Marinaro’s, the next three goals came from right in front of the net, indicating a defensive breakdown.

Rudy Pikuzinski broke free 1:27 into the quarter and got to a pass from Schmetzer that he tucked in to give the Crunch a 5-4 lead.

After Hoggan got one by Crow to make it a two-goal lead, Kai Haaskivi stretched it to three after taking a pass from Pikuzinski that crossed the goal mouth at the left post and hitting it home.

The Sockers’ final goal came with 2:29 left in the third quarter.