Lazers on Short End Again, 6-1

After winning their first three games of the Major Indoor Soccer League season, the Lazers looked as though they had a promising season ahead.

But things have gone rather sour for the Lazers, to put it lightly. Due to injuries and inept play, the Lazers lost their fifth consecutive game Sunday, 6-1 to the Kansas City Comets, before 6,021 at the Forum. Kansas City, led by forward Jan Goossens’ three goals and one assist, became the latest team to take advantage of the injury-riddled Lazers. “They (the Lazers) just have to do the best they can until they become fully manned,” Kansas City Coach Rick Benben said. “If the thing was opposite, we would probably be in the same boat.”

Playing without some of their best players in Willie Molano, Poli Garcia and Beto, the Lazers (3-5) often had to go with only two players up front or, as they tried on occasion, move a defender to the forward position.

“We had no option,” Lazer Coach Peter Wall said, referring to his team’s lack of depth.

The latest to fall victim to injury was defender Dave Madden, who collided with the Comets’ John Bain early in the fourth period. Madden, who had no feeling in his legs and was breathing heavily, was carried off the field on a stretcher.

His injury was diagnosed as a lower back sprain, but he was taken to Centinela Hospital for observation. He was treated and released.

The Comets, 6-3 and in second place behind the Tacoma Stars, did not play as well as they did in their 5-3 loss to the San Diego Sockers Friday night, according to Benben. But they had little trouble creating problems for the Lazers.

After an illegal substitution call against the Lazers late in the first period, Goossens began to operate.

The first quarter was scoreless, but the Comets began the second period on a power play.

Goossens took a long cross-pass from Jorgen Kristensen and beat Lazer goalkeeper David Brcic with a 30-foot low shot just 18 seconds into the period, giving Kansas City a 1-0 lead.

Goossens scored again at 2:58 into the same period, this time with a 12-foot blast off an assist by Charlie Fajkus, which again beat Brcic in the low corner of the net.

“If you look at our blackboard right now, it will say ‘take away Goossens foot,’ ” Wall said after the game. “We never were able to stop him.”

Comet forward Pato Margetic made it 3-0 when he took a cross-pass from Dale Mitchell and got the ball past Brcic 3:53 into the second period. The Comets took the 3-0 lead into halftime, despite being outshot, 12-11.

The Lazers managed their only goal on a power play. Forward Stuart Lee took an assist from Erhard Kapp, who has returned from his injury, and drilled the ball past Comet goalkeeper Ed Gettemeier to make the score 3-1 Kansas City early in the third period.

Gettemeier, playing for injured Alan Mayer, was outstanding in the nets, facing 29 shots and making 19 saves.

Brcic faced 20 shots and had 8 saves. “I was just trying not to think about making any mistakes,” Gettemeier said. “I just tried to keep my mind on the game.”

The Comets continued their assault after the Lazers were again called for illegal substitution. Margetic scored his second goal of the day on the power-play off Kristensen’s second assist, giving the Comets a 4-1 lead.

That, according to Wall, was the goal that broke the Lazers spirit.

“We had things going our way at that point, but then the Yugoslav (Darko Birjukov) made the (bad) line change that cost us the game.”