Sockers Start Fast, Top Blast

The scenario seemed all too familiar: The Sockers charge out to a big, early lead then watch helplessly as a Baltimore Blast rally falls short in the fourth quarter.

It’s the script that the teams have written time and again. It usually happens in the postseason, where the Sockers three times have vanquished the Blast in the MSL Championship Series.

Saturday night, in front of 8,184 at the Baltimore Arena, the Sockers added a regular-season wrinkle to the old routine.

Paul Dougherty scored a pair of goals, and goalkeeper Victor Nogueira made 20 saves to help the Sockers beat the Blast, 5-4. The victory improved the Sockers’ record to 10-10--and 15-21 in regular-season games against Baltimore.

The Sockers scored the first four goals as Baltimore (10-9) played right into Coach Ron Newman’s hands with a physical game that never threw them off kilter. Nogueira held Baltimore scoreless during the first half, then withstood a late rally.

“That’s the way they play--fast and furious,” said Dougherty, who played last season in Baltimore. “What we tried to do was to calm the pace down, weather the storm and pick our spots.”

When the Blast tried getting rough, the Sockers didn’t flinch. Instead, they ran up and down the field as the Blast desperately tried to regroup. It showed most in the first half, when the Sockers stormed to a 3-0 lead.

“In this league, you can’t expect to win if you spot a team a 3-0 lead,” said Blast goalkeeper Scott Manning, who made 20 saves and kept the Blast in the game with 12 stops in the first half.

“When we get revved up . . . and start going forward and putting pressure on the other team, that’s when we’re vulnerable. San Diego is a great counterattack team, and what we did tonight played right into their hand.”

Newman said his team was much more focused than in its 11-6 loss Friday at Cleveland, a setback that snapped a four-game winning streak.

“We did what we had to do, and that was to stay focused the whole game, especially after what happened against Cleveland,” Newman said. “Baltimore caught us in that position. It was bad luck for Baltimore, but good luck for us.”’

The Sockers got a lift from Branko Segota, who scored a goal for the third consecutive game after missing 13 games with a cracked right fibula.

“Branko played his best game of the year so far for us,” Newman said. “He’s not been quite ready when I used him in bits and pieces, but when he gets in there all along he does well. This is the best I’ve seen Branko play in two seasons.”

A holding penalty against Baltimore defender Mike Stankovic set up Dougherty’s 19th goal of the season, which gave the Sockers a 1-0 lead 4:59 into the game.

Dougherty took a shot from the upper right corner of the penalty area, and the ball glanced off the crossbar and straight up. Manning fell down, the ball bounced to the ground and its backspin carried it into the goal.

Segota then scored from the left wing, taking a cross-field pass from Alex Golovnia and beating Manning with a shot to the far post.

Wes Wade scored his 12th goal of the season to complete a Sockers counterattack late in the first half, and, after Dougherty scored his second goal of the game, it was 4-0. On that play, Dougherty took a heel pass from Segota, blew by defender Angelo Panzetta in the center of the penalty area and slipped a right-footed shot between Manning and the right post.

Just 1:25 later, Baltimore finally got on the scoreboard, courtesy of David Vaudreuil’s third goal of the season.

“Once they got that first goal,” Newman said, “it became difficult to contain them. That’s what started it up for them. That’s all it took to get them going.”

After Blast forward Domenic Mobilio scored to make it 4-2, the Sockers’ Paul Wright caught Baltimore’s Richard Chinapoo in a line change and scored to give the Sockers a 5-2 cushion. Wright took an outlet pass from Nogueira, sped down the right side and beat Manning from 20 feet.

Chinapoo atoned for his error 2:31 into the fourth period. Chinapoo fluttered a shot in from the top of the penalty area, catching Nogueira out of position to score his ninth goal of the year.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Baltimore shaved the lead to 5-4 on a goal by Mark Mettrick. Mettrick chested in a feed out of the right corner from Mike Reynolds at 8:41.

Blast coach Kenny Cooper pulled Manning for sixth attacker Billy Ronson with 2:17 left in the game, but Baltimore failed to get the equalizer. Ronson, meanwhile, was forced to make a pair of saves in his short stint, including a diving stop on a header by Segota.