Ervine Gets 400th Goal; Splash Stops Four-Game Skid

Like a man thirsting in the desert, there was relief inside the Pond for a struggling team and a pressing star.

The Splash finally ended its longest losing streak in three years, and the game was sealed when Dale Ervine finally scored the 400th goal of his 11-year career.

The Splash’s 6-4 victory over Seattle in front of 3,895 Monday at the Pond--the smallest home crowd since 3,837 watched a game against Sacramento Aug. 28, 1994--ended a four-game losing streak before the team embarks on a three-game, four-day trip beginning Wednesday against Seattle (7-15).

“You can’t put into words how important this game was to us,” Splash Coach Ian Fulton said. “But it does us no good if we don’t win Wednesday.”

The Splash improved to 10-9, one game behind San Diego and a 1/2 game behind Sacramento [Saturday’s opponent] in the Western Division of the Continental Indoor Soccer League.

It also provided Ervine the 400th goal of his career to seal the victory with 1 minute 24 seconds left. His goal, against overmatched sixth attacker Leonel Pernia, came on an assist from Sam George. It was the last of eight shots for Ervine, who went 0 for 6 in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Monterrey.

“The main thing is we won,” said Ervine, whose team had lost six of its previous eight. “It’s a relief to me because you start to press, but I think it’s also a relief to my teammates.”

It was deemed a must-win game by players beforehand, and they played with an uncommon unselfishness and uncanny passing as they scored three consecutive goals to take a 3-1 first-quarter lead.

George (assisted by Paul Agyeman), Bernie Lilavois (Raffaele Ruotolo) and Ricky Rodriguez (Danny Barber) finished their early opportunities, and Doug Neely’s goal from the top of the arc on Ruotolo’s second assist made it 4-1 only 54 seconds into the second quarter.

“The first quarter was the best we’ve played all year,” said Ruotolo, who added a 90-foot goal in the third quarter for a 5-2 lead. “We played a little more unselfish; [Sunday] everyone tried to be the hero. This is the team I want to see, but we have to be more consistent.”

Seattle Coach Fernando Clavijo, whose team had not lost to the Splash in three previous games, said: “[The Splash] can blow a team away and be blown away; the key is to play them at the right time. It just depends on how they motivate themselves.”

Agyeman said Clavijo’s assessment was painfully accurate of the team’s recent, dismal performance.

“Everyone seems to think we have the talent, but we play as individuals,” Agyeman said. “If we can play the way we did tonight, with no one trying to do it all themselves, we can win. We can win the whole thing.”

Agyeman wasn’t alone in his thinking.

“If we play like that, there’s not a team that can stop us,” George said. “We have too much team speed, too much skill and too much leadership.”