Sockers Lose Exhibition Game, 7-3

With most of their regulars back home in San Diego, the Sockers lost an exhibition game for the second night in a row to the Cleveland Force Friday.

Gino DiFlorio scored three times to lead the Force to a 7-3 Major Indoor Soccer League exhibition game win in Glens Fall, N.Y.

The Force led, 6-0, early in the third quarter before Raffaele Ruotolo scored for the Sockers. Juli Veee and Cha Cha Namdar scored San Diego’s other goals. Cleveland’s Peter Ward had two goals and Jeff Cambridge and Chris Chueden added one apiece.

San Diego was scheduled to play one more exhibition game, but its Tuesday home match against Orebro was canceled because members of the Swedish National indoor championship team were struck with a virus. The game was not rescheduled. Other opponents in the International Challenge Series include Dynamo Kiev of the Soviet Union on Nov. 28 and Schalke 04 of West Germany on Jan. 5, 1986.

The Sockers finished the exhibition season with a 2-2 mark. They open defense of their MISL championship against the Baltimore Blast Friday night in Baltimore.