Lazers End Home Losing Streak, 3-2 : They Beat the St. Louis Streamers With a Strong Defense

The Lazers, playing solid defense for the first time this season, accomplished a rare feat Sunday night and ended weeks of frustration in the process.

Matched against the worst team in the Major Indoor Soccer League, the Lazers beat the St. Louis Steamers, 3-2, before a Forum crowd of 5,705.

It was Thompson Usiyan’s 20-foot shot early in the fourth period that gave the Lazers the victory, snapping a six-game Forum losing streak (five games overall).

The Steamers, who fell to 9-16, were the team that sent the Lazers into their tailspin, beating them, 3-2, on Jan. 3. The Lazers gave up 37 goals in the next 4 games.

“We finally got the monkey off our backs,” said Lazer Coach Keith Tozer. “How do I feel? We won!”

The difference Sunday night was defense, as the Lazers were constantly beating the Steamers to the ball when it counted. And goalkeeper David Brcic turned in one of his finest performances this year. “We picked up (the opposing player) early and played with a lot of intensity,” Tozer said. “We played with a much greater commitment to defense.”

The question facing the Lazers now is whether they can continue their hot streak on the road, where they will play 8 of their next 10 games.

They still have the league’s second-best road record (7-4) but, in their longest home stand of the year, the Lazers (11-12) fell into third place, 7 1/2 games behind the first-place San Diego Sockers and a half-game behind the second-place Tacoma Stars.

“Personally, I’d rather play at home (despite the losing record),” Tozer said.

Both teams seemed to concentrate on defense from the outset, at first passing crisply, content just to keep the ball away from the opponent.

The Steamers were the first to cash in, as Ade Coker took a clean pass from Ivor Evans and kicked a 20-footer past Brcic at 3:13 into the first period, giving the Steamers a 1-0 lead.

It was the first time in five games that a Lazer opponent has scored first.

The Lazers got even at 10:20 when Chico Borja dribbled through heavy traffic and scored his 20th goal of the season on a jumping scissor-kick from in front of the net.

Offense seemed secondary in importance to both teams in the second period as well, but after St. Louis’ Daryl Doran and Tim Schultz were assessed penalties for dissent, giving Los Angeles a two-man advantage, the Lazers’ Chris Whyte scored from 30 feet out, making it 2-1 at halftime.

In the third period, both teams got a bit sloppy as the pace slowed. It remained that way until Usiyan’s game-winner and thereafter.

“We slowed things down and made them play our style of game,” said Steamer Coach Tony Glavin. “I thought we were going to win it until the very end.”

St. Louis’ radio announcer, John Paul Dellacamera, summed it up best in the third period, when he described the action to listeners back home.

“This isn’t entertaining soccer at this point,” he said.

Said Tozer: “But we won and now everything (the Forum jinx) is behind us.”