Splash Defense Gets Rave Reviews
Splash defender and team captain Doug Neely, the only original remaining member of the Splash franchise dating to its days in Los Angeles, couldn’t remember his team ever playing defense as well as it is now.
Neither could goalkeeper Ruben Fernandez. Or player/coach Dale Ervine. Or anyone else in the Splash locker room.
The Splash defeated Dallas, 5-2, Sunday at the Pond in front of an announced crowd of 6,942. The Splash (4-3), without the same lineup for consecutive games this season, is 2 1/2 games behind Sacramento and Seattle--which it hosts on Sunday.
The Splash has won three of its last four games and given up only 10 goals in the last 13 quarters.
“And the game we lost was 4-2 away from home [Friday against Seattle],” Ervine said.
Between Dallas’ first goal, by Hunter Groff three minutes into the game, and its last, by Patrick Shamu with eight seconds remaining, the Splash shut down a team averaging 6.8 goals.
The Splash held a 3-1 lead until scoring twice in the final four minutes after Dallas added a sixth attacker.
“From Day 1 in training camp, Dale--who’s offensive-minded--has instilled in us that defense wins games,” said Neely, a defender who finished the scoring with an empty-net goal from beyond midfield. “I don’t recall us ever playing better as far as the team was concerned--but I think we can play better.”
It might be difficult to find anyone who thought Fernandez had played better. He had 17 saves--eight of a big-time nature.
“If he wasn’t there, I don’t know what the score might have been,” said Bernie Lilavois, who had an assist on Matt Davis’ goal to tie the score, 1-1, and also scored an empty-net goal at 11:37 of the fourth quarter.
Though Fernandez was spectacular, he was hardly alone, especially in the game’s most critical sequence.
Midway through the first quarter, rookie Matt West--standing at the goal mouth while Fernandez was outside the penalty arch--blocked Nick Stavrou’s 35-foot shot from near the side dasher boards. Fernandez hustled back into place, and while on the ground, blocked David Doyle three times before Francisco Jaime cleared the ball.
Fifteen seconds later, Armando Valdivia scored, chipping the ball with his knee past goalkeeper Hank Henry for a 2-1 lead.
“Saves like that are as big as a goal in terms of momentum changes,” Neely said. “It puts it in the back of their minds, ‘What do we have to do to get it past these guys.’ ”
Dallas Coach Gordon Jago agreed that it was the game’s turning point.
West added a short goal in the second quarter on a nice pass through the arch from Danny Barber to make it 3-1.
West and Neely were mostly responsible for handling Doyle, whose 16 goals lead the league.
“Whether I was on the field or on the bench, I could see our midfielders and forwards getting back on defense,” Neely said. “It’s so much easier to play defense that way because then I can overplay a guy.”
Dallas was ripe to be beaten. Though the Sidekicks had four of the league’s top 20 scorers, two were missing, along with starting goalkeeper Antonio Cortes. Tatu (sore hamstring), indoor soccer’s all-time leading scorer, didn’t make the trip after contributing one goal and six assists in Saturday’s 9-4 home victory over Arizona, the first of two games in 23 hours. Neither did midfielder Kevin Smith, third all-time in career assists (behind Tatu and Doyle).
Splash notes
Former Splash captain Ralph Black was named head coach of the Portland Pride last week. Black replaced former Splash coach Ian Fulton, who was fired after a 1-5 start. The Pride won its debut under Black, 5-3, over Washington, but Sunday lost to Houston, 8-4. . . . Player/coach Dale Ervine said the Splash will likely sign defender Shane Hickson, who played for the franchise its first three years. Hickson was selected in Thursday’s supplemental draft while on his honeymoon. “He gives us more experience, and you can never have enough of that in the back,” Ervine said. Hickson also gives the Splash a second left-footed scoring threat, along with Danny Barber.
