Splash Starts Weekend With Victory : Soccer: Anaheim beats Monterrey, 9-6, before flying to Dallas for key game against the first-place Sidekicks.
Splash Coach George Fernandez called it a must-win weekend, with his team needing to win at least one of its two games against the two best Eastern teams in the Continental Indoor Soccer League on consecutive nights.
Given that the Splash left early this morning for Dallas and a game with the first-place Sidekicks, Friday’s game against second-place Monterrey was crucial.
The Splash turned in its best quarter of the year into a 9-6 victory over La Raza, the league’s hottest team, in front of 4,162 at The Pond of Anaheim.
The victory ended Monterrey’s seven-game winning streak. It had not lost since the Splash won, 9-7, last month. Despite Friday’s loss, La Raza (9-5) remained in second place behind Dallas (9-2).
The Splash (9-3) kept its hold on first in the West over San Diego (8-3). The Sockers beat Detroit in overtime, 6-5.
“(Winning is) going to make it a lot easier (tonight),” Splash defender Denis Hamlett said. “It’s hard to fly and play on the same day. When you win, you go in with the right attitude. You can win and make it a perfect weekend.
“The word around the league is that Dallas is the team in the East and we’re the team in the West. It should be interesting.”
Monterrey, averaging 10 goals and 47.5 shots per game, has the league’s most potent offense, but the Splash gave La Raza a dose of its own medicine.
The Splash made six of its first 14 shots and took a 6-2 lead into the second quarter.
“That was great to watch,” Fernandez said. “Everyone was on the same page, but eventually, we exerted so much pressure, so much energy, I think we ran out of gas in the second quarter.”
The Splash scored seven goals in the first 18 minutes 17 seconds of the game and only two over the final 41:53.
“In the second half, it looked like we were just trying to survive,” Fernandez said. But when you get such a big lead, you have a tendency to kick back.”
The most notable Splash goal came at 7:59, when Raffaele Ruotolo assisted Rod Castro on a free kick, a pass into the corner that Castro put away for a 3-1 Splash lead. It gave Ruotolo a league-record 13 consecutive games with an assist, breaking the record of 12 set by Dallas’ David Doyle.
Ruotolo also scored a goal, his 17th.
Castro had two first-half goals, as did Mike LaPosha.
Castro finished with a hat trick, his third goal coming as he blocked goalie Raul Salas’ clearing attempt. Before the ball hit the ground--and with Castro’s back to the net--he put the ball in the empty net from about 90 feet. It was Castro’s team-high 18th of the year.
Paul Ratcliffe, Dale Ervine and Armando Valdivia also scored.
The Splash offense took the pressure off goalie Jorge Valenzuela in the first half. They outshot Monterrey, 16-2, but managed just 12 shots on goal the rest of the way.
“If we step up a little more in the second quarter and make it 10-2, they’re out of it,” Hamlett said.”
The Splash finished with 28 shots on goal to Monterrey’s 26. Monterrey outshot the Splash in the fourth quarter, 12-4. Valenzuela finished with 14 saves.
Notes
The 4,162 in attendance gave the Splash a seven-game season total of 27,527 at The Pond, exceeding the 14-game total of 26,779 at the Forum last year by the L.A. United. . . . Monterrey’s Jaime Flores spent the night at Anaheim Memorial Hospital for observation of a head injury he sustained in a collision with the Splash’s Dale Ervine, who was called for boarding. Neck X-rays were negative.
