Splash Players Fill Void, Get Victory
The Splash’s third victory in four games--all by holding opponents to three goals or less--meant something different in each corner of the locker room.
Everywhere you looked, there was someone with a different conclusion after the Splash’s 4-2 Continental Indoor Soccer League victory over Portland in front of 6,371 at the Pond.
And, the task was accomplished without Raffaele Ruotolo, Bernie Lilavois or Armando Valdivia.
Ruotolo (five points) was in France playing beach soccer for the U.S. national team, Lilavois (six points) was in the press box serving a one-game suspension for elbowing Dallas’ Tatu in the head, and Valdivia, a starter the past two years who had not played this season, was somewhere else--waived earlier in the day.
The Splash (3-2) climbed over .500 for the first time this season and is virtually tied for second place in the Western Division with San Diego (2-1). The Splash plays host to San Diego Friday. Portland (1-4) has lost four in a row, including two to the Splash.
The Pride went with a new goalkeeper, Rob Warnell (20 saves), who was nothing short of spectacular. He frustrated the Splash time and again.
“I think we showed a lot of character and composure,” said Splash goalkeeper Ruben Fernandez (14 saves). “This is the typical game that you lose, when you don’t put away your chances.”
Doug Neely thought the Splash performance showed something else: “We’re starting to come together as a team. We’re interchangeable parts. We have a system. You always miss a player like Raffe and Bernie, but if we all stick to the system, we’ll be fine.”
The system against Portland was patience, and a defense that featured another strong performance by Neely, John O’Brien, Paul McDonnell and Ricky Rodriguez.
Fernandez allowed a goal 4 minutes 6 seconds into the game, and a sixth-attacker goal with 1:02 left while on his back. In between, the Splash missed a lot of shots but got consecutive goals from Sam George and Danny Barber in the second quarter, and Dale Ervine and UC Irvine alumnus P.J. Polowski, who scored his first professional goal, in the fourth.
The Splash managed just fine despite being shorthanded.
“I deal with what I’ve got to deal with,” Splash Coach Ian Fulton said. “That’s why we have 20 players. We’re going to lose Doug Neely for two games when Raffe gets back, and we’re going to lose Sam George for two games when he gets married in August.”
None of that will matter if the Splash continues to play the way it has. The offense dictated the game’s pace, and despite Warnell’s best efforts, Portland couldn’t keep up. The Pride had only three shots in each of the first two quarters; the Splash outshot the Pride overall, 31-20.
“I knew once we scored--their goalkeeper was on fire--and you need a goal to break him down,” said George, whose goal at 7:55 of the second tied the score at 1-1. “They had been losing. You could see all their heads go down. They don’t believe in themselves right now.”
