Zungul Takes Care of Sockers in 2nd Overtime

TACOMA, Wash. — Former Socker Steve Zungul leg-whipped a rebound into the net 6:31 into the second overtime as the Tacoma Stars completed a marathon weekend sweep of San Diego with a 6-5 victory in the Tacoma Dome Saturday night.

Coupled with their 8-7 overtime victory in San Diego the night before, the Stars (12-2) will take a 4 1/2-game lead over the five-time defending champion Sockers (7-6) into the new year.

Zungul, posted up in the middle of the penalty area, was in perfect position to take Godfrey Ingram’s rebound and side wind it past Zoltan Toth a split second before he went down in a heap with defender Kevin Crow.

Zungul, who did not play Friday because of a pulled hamstring, ended what was just the second double-overtime game in both teams’ history with his eighth goal of the season.

The teams played in front of 18,441, the largest regular-season crowd in Tacoma’s four Major Indoor Soccer League seasons.

The Sockers flirted with defeat and victory 30 seconds apart in the first overtime--Tacoma’s Gerry Gray hitting the left post at the midway mark and the Gary Heale drawing a two-minute tripping penalty moments after.

In contrast to Tacoma’s 8-7 victory in San Diego Friday, the Stars had to score twice in the final six minutes of regulation to wipe out a 5-3 deficit and force overtime. Gary Heale, whose fourth goal of the game won Friday’s game, sent this one into overtime when he redirected Ralph Black’s shot over a prone Zoltan Toth on a power play with 3:27 left.

Branko Segota’s third goal of the game had given the Sockers a 4-2 third-period lead, and a Jean Willrich goal--Tacoma defender Bill Crook headed it into his own goal 52 seconds into the final quarter--restored the two-goal lead, 5-3.

But Tacoma closed to 5-4 with 5:50 to play when Toth couldn’t handle Preki’s shot cleanly and Fran O’Brien dribbled in the rebound.

Segota completed his hat trick--his first of the season but the 34th of his MISL career--by slipping the rebound of Jean Willrich’s shot into an open net for a 4-2 San Diego lead 6 1/2 minutes into the second half.

Barely a minute later, Godfrey Ingram scored his 15th to make it a one-goal game again.

In a bizarre first period, the Sockers fell behind 2-0 and had two goals taken away by a handball call and a whistle to call a delayed penalty on Tacoma, but still emerged with a 2-2 tie on goals by Hugo Perez and Segota.

Socker Notes

Juli Veee (hamstring) sat out for the third straight game. . . . On Branko Segota’s third goal Saturday, Tacoma defender Ralph Black cut open his right shin on the goal standard, took stitches in the dressing room and returned for the game’s final 5:50. . . . Saturday’s game will be shown on ESPN at 1 p.m. today. . . . Since Steve Zungul was sold to Tacoma last February, the Stars are 18-3 at home (including playoffs) and averaging crowds of 10,910. This year’s numbers read 7-0 and 11,282. . . . Zungul assisted on Black’s first-period goal to extend his scoring streak to 12 games, two shy of Gary Heale’s club mark.