Leal’s Return Well-Timed for Zodiac

Gustavo Leal spent the off-season training in his native Argentina and just showed up to practice last week, long after his teammates. Leal didn’t get into the Zodiac’s A-League season opener with the San Diego Flash until the 53rd minute.

But he was in the right place at the right time when it counted Friday night.

Standing to the right of the goal box, Leal controlled a loose ball with his right foot and blasted it just inside the right goal post to give the Zodiac a 2-1 sudden-death victory in front of an estimated crowd of 500 at Santa Ana Stadium.

“I was only thinking, goal, score goal,” Leal said. “All my hard work and training in the off-season paid off tonight.”

After both teams had opportunities to put the game away earlier in the extra period, the winning sequence developed quickly with a little more than three minutes before the teams would have gone to a shootout. A cross from the left of the penalty box by Rivers Guthrie sailed toward teammate Steve Patterson, who was positioned in front of the net about 15 yards out. But 6-foot-5 San Diego goalkeeper Kevin Rueda came out and collided with Patterson, and the ball squirted across the box toward Leal.

“I thought the referee blew his whistle,” Rueda said afterward. “He should have because there was contact. I guess I got up late and he made a nice shot, right inside the post.”

Mugurel Dumitru’s goal in the 17th minute made it 1-0 and the Flash appeared to be sending a message that it would attack the net whenever given the opportunity. The Flash outshot the Zodiac, 10-3, in the first half.

“You could see them feeding off our mistakes in the first half,” Zodiac Coach Erik Kirsch said.

But the Flash offense faltered, allowing the Zodiac to regroup. It struck quickly as the second half opened. Seven minutes into the half, midfielder Mark Foster made a crossing pass just outside the penalty box and defender Michael N’Doumbe hooked the ball with his foot, but couldn’t control it. N’Doumbe recovered and got the ball on his right instep. But a hustling Foster ran through the ball, took it off the defender’s foot and blasted it past Rueda to tie the score.

The Zodiac failed to convert several first-half opportunities.

About 11 minutes before halftime midfielder Martin Lippens beat Rueda to a through-ball just outside the box, but faced with an open net blasted it over the bar.

In the 42nd minute P.J. Powlowski got a gift dropped on his foot inside the penalty arc when two San Diego defenders collided. Rueda was frozen outside his box on the play, but Powlowski chipped the ball over the bar.

Rueda also punched out a Zodiac free kick just before halftime.