Ervine Holds Own With All-Stars
There were other players on his team that Splash player/coach Dale Ervine felt should have been in the Continental Indoor Soccer League all-star game instead of himself Tuesday night.
But Ervine had two assists, became the all-time leading scorer in all-star game history and helped the Western Division stars win, 7-5, at Arco Arena.
It was a big night for Splash players, who contributed a goal and four assists in front of an announced crowd of 10,124, the largest to see a CISL all-star game.
But it was a goal by Portland’s Jeff Betts, which crept into the goal after being partially blocked by Detroit goalkeeper John Kluba with only 17 seconds remaining, that won it for the West.
The East, using a sixth attacker, got burned with 1.5 seconds remaining when Arizona’s Don Gaillard scored on an assist by the Splash’s Bernie Lilavois.
The play began when Splash captain Doug Neely controlled the ball and played it downfield to Lilavois, who led a two-on-one charge.
Lilavois also had two assists for the West, and Neely gave the West its first lead, 4-3, 1 minute 37 seconds into the second half with a left-footed blast from the top of the arc.
The teams went into the fourth quarter tied, 5-5, and it stayed that way until the final minute.
Sacramento goalkeeper Dan Madsen (10 saves) was named defensive player of the game, and Seattle’s Jean Harbor (two goals, one assist) was named MVP.
“It’s always an honor to be chosen to participate,” said Ervine, a three-time choice and the first player/coach to compete in an all-star game. “You never take these things for granted.
“I told the guys on our team that I felt they deserved to be a part of this.”
Teams were selected by coaches who couldn’t vote for their players.
But at game time, Ervine--who has seven goals and six assists in nine games--played like he belonged. His pass to Arizona’s Jason Vanacour, who scored from 40 feet, gave the West a 5-4 lead. Ervine has three goals and three assists in all-star history.
Ervine surpassed Dallas’ David Doyle (four goals, one assist), Houston’s Ziad Allan (one goal, four assists) and Sacramento’s Jon Parry (four goals, one assist) as the leading scorer in CISL all-star history.
“Even though it’s an all-star game, you can tell [Ervine’s] just as feisty,” Neely said. “He’s a very competitive player and it shows--even in an exhibition.”
Notes
Fox Sports Net will broadcast the game at 2 p.m. Sunday. . . . Splash players turned in big performances during the all-star skills competition Monday. Bernie Lilavois scored 29 of a possible 30 points to win the juggling competition, which included juggling the ball on his feet while sitting down. . . . Dale Ervine’s five-point shot in the speed accuracy competition provided the winning margin for the West, and Doug Neely’s second leg of the relay gave the West the lead it needed to win that event. The West, which won the overall competition, 75-0, also won the hardest shot (Arizona’s Terry Wedberry, 71 mph) and shootout competition for goalkeepers as Sacramento’s Dan Madsen was three for three in saves. . . . The 10,124 who attended the game made up the largest crowd for any of the league’s three all-star games. The previous largest crowd was 7,195 in 1995 in Portland.
