Splash Buckles Under Pressure : Soccer: Sacramento defense is overwhelming in 5-1 victory, ending Anaheim’s playoff run.

After all the heroics, the winning streak at the end of the season, the game-tying goal in the final seconds of Game 2 and the game-winner in overtime, after all the adversity it overcame to get here, the Splash season ended Tuesday at Arco Arena.

After Sacramento’s 5-1 victory before 9,188 in Game 3 of the Continental Indoor Soccer League semifinals, Coach George Fernandez sat in a silent locker room with his head in his hands. Raffaele Ruotolo was drying his hair, fighting back the tears after a season he was sure would not end so soon. And Rod Castro retired.

“This is it,” Castro said. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t go all the way. It would have been nice to finish my career with a [championship] ring.”

The Splash fell behind early and, for once, had no miracles left.

“These guys were 20-8 and had home-field advantage,” co-captain Doug Neely said, “and that proved to be the deciding factor in this series.”

Sacramento won both games at Arco; the Splash has never won here.

“To see a great season come to an end like this is tough to swallow,” said Bernie Lilavois, whose goal at 12 minutes 39 seconds of the first quarter was the Splash’s last of the season.

Sacramento had allowed only 3.3 goals over the last four games, and improved that total with another solid defensive effort.

Trailing, 3-1, going into the fourth quarter, the Splash’s hopes of a comeback were dashed when Gerell Elliott completed his first hat trick of the season midway through the quarter to make it 4-1. Those dashed hopes were sealed--even for a team that had scored three goals or more in the fourth quarter 12 times this season--when Denis Hamlett drew a red card ejection and five-minute penalty with 5:21 left to play. Sacramento’s Mark Thomas scored 3 1/2 minutes later.

Two Sacramento players who did little offensively through the Knights’ first five playoff games, put pressure on the Splash in the first half.

Eric Harvey scored his first goal of the season, and Elliott scored only his second of the playoffs.

Lilavois answered 16 seconds later, but the rest of the night was one of failed opportunities.

Raffaele Ruotolo, the Splash’s leading point-scorer in the regular season and playoffs, was 0 for 7 shooting. He hit the post once and was noticeably upset afterward.

“Eventually, you have to let it go,” Ruotolo said of the loss, “but it’s going to hurt for a while.”

Ruben Fernandez kept the Splash in the game with 14 often brilliant saves, but his teammates were never able to put the kind of pressure on Sacramento goalkeeper Mario Astorga (11 saves) that would make him break.

“Yeah, I made some good saves,” Ruben Fernandez said, “but it was worthless. They’re going to Monterrey and we’re going home.”