Portland Sinks the Splash, 7-6
It seemed like a good place to bury the last 22 games, in front of a mausoleum-like crowd, the smallest at the Pond in two years to watch a Continental Indoor Soccer League game.
Instead, it was the Splash that got buried--this time by a team it had beaten four times this season.
Portland overcame four deficits and won, 7-6, Wednesday before 3,232, dropping the Splash to 11-12 with five games remaining. The third-place Splash is two games behind San Diego with five to play.
Portland (10-14) remained in the hunt for a wild-card playoff berth, 1 1/2 games behind the Splash for the eighth and final qualifying spot.
After playing nine of its last 11 games on the road, Splash players had pointed to this stretch, with five of their final six games at the Pond, as a chance to make up for the past. But the team discovered it won’t magically win seven of its final eight, as it did last year to win the division title, by fate alone.
“You would think that might be in the back of our minds, that playing at home would be the solution to our problems,” said Dale Ervine, who scored twice and had an assist. “The guys are [lacking confidence] and we’re finding ways to make it difficult for ourselves.”
It didn’t have to be that way.
Five players scored the Splash’s first five goals, a good sign, but they were burned by defensive lapses and Portland’s unwillingness to hand the game over.
Splash goalkeeper Ruben Fernandez made 10 saves, but was often spectacular. It was for naught.
“Instead of owning up to our mistakes, we’ve just kept making the same ones over and over because we’ve been too proud to admit we were wrong,” said Bernie Lilavois before the game. “We’re not boys. It’s time to step up to the plate. We have 18 days to rectify everything.”
Said Ervine: “We just lost a day.”
Ervine and P.J. Polowski staked the Splash to a two-goal lead, but Portland answered with three consecutive goals, two coming in a 36-second span.
Although Doug Neely and Danny Barber (who had three assists) gave the Splash a 4-3 lead at halftime, Portland sandwiched goals at the beginning and end of the third quarter around Lilavois’ goal, tying the score at 5-5 entering the fourth.
Ervine’s second goal, 31 seconds into the fourth quarter was a good start to a fine finish, but Steve Piercy scored three minutes later and Jeff Betts scored at 10:22 on a power play. Portland, a winner in three of its last four games, added a goal against the sixth attacker in the final minute.
