Lazers Build a 3-0 Lead, Then Watch as Pittsburgh Wins It, 4-3 in Overtime
The Lazers built a three-goal lead by the third quarter Sunday, then watched as the Pittsburgh Spirit fought back to win the Major Indoor Soccer League game, 4-3 in overtime, at the Forum.
Injuries handicapped the Lazers, depriving them of bench strength and that, coupled with the fact that they were forced to play their third overtime game in a row, finally did them in.
The Lazers gave up four consecutive goals, two coming in the last 1:11 of regulation, to give Pittsburgh the victory.
One consolation for the Lazers is that there weren’t many people on hand at the Forum to see it--a season-low 3,226.
“Basically, I think we ran out of gas,” Coach Peter Wall said. “We did great up until the end, but to come that far and collapse is tough.”
Zeee Kapka gave Pittsburgh its first goal with 10 seconds left in the third quarter to start the Spirit comeback. Erhardt Kapp and Godfrey Ingram scored fourth-quarter goals to tie the game, the latter coming with 33 seconds left, and Paul Child turned what had looked like an inevitable loss into a victory with a goal 3:37 into overtime.
“It seemed like we were dead early on,” Child said. “There was no atmosphere, and we just tried to encourage ourselves to keep going.
“When you’re down by two goals late in the game, you’ve got to be thinking, ‘Holy, smoke. Can we pull this out?”
They could, and for that reason the Lazers are now 10-15.
The Lazers were without three players due to injury and a fourth, Batata, was serving a one-game suspension for an accumulation of penalty minutes. Four other players were bothered by the flu or minor injuries, but did play.
Still, Wall’s team, which came into Sunday’s game having won five of seven in the month, including two in a row, played well to begin with, taking a 2-0 halftime lead.
Poli Garcia, playing despite a groin strain, had an assist on the first Lazer goal. With Pittsburgh short-handed because of a penalty, Garcia’s shot from the left of goalie Joe Papaleo banked off the glass to Papaleo’s other side, where Juan Cardenas took the rebounded and headed it in with 5:39 remaining in the first quarter.
Beto’s goal off a Nathan Sacks assist with 6:14 remaining in the half was his fifth in the past three games and gave the Lazers their two-goal advantage.
They increased the lead to three 3:44 into the third quarter, a Cle Kooiman header off a rebound beating Papaleo. George Fernandez got the assist, his first point as a Lazer since being acquired as a free agent.
