Stars Take Sizzle Out of Sockers : MSL: Tacoma posts 4-2 victory against a San Diego team whose shots lacked zip.

TACOMA, Wash. —  The Tacoma Stars had won seven consecutive games at home. The Sockers had beaten the Stars all four times this season and had won 12 times in their past 13 games.

Something had to give when the two Major Soccer League rivals squared off Friday night at the Tacoma Dome.

It wasn’t the Stars’ streak.

Tacoma, playing tough defense and counter-attacking with precision, overcame the Socker’s territorial advantage to post a 4-2 victory in front of 5,735.

The Stars scored two early goals, which allowed them to fall back into a defensive shell. From early on, whatever the Sockers threw at the goal was blocked, caught or parried. Tacoma, meanwhile, maximized its opportunities.

The Sockers (20-8) had 36 shots--20 were blocked. Tacoma scored their four goals on 20 shots.

“We’ve got to get our shots on target,” said Sockers Coach Ron Newman, a bit mystified by his team’s lack of offense. “We’ve got to make the goalie a hero and make him save them.”

Newman wasn’t insinuating that Tacoma goalie Mike Dowler didn’t get to the ball (he had 14 saves), but rather that the Sockers’ shots were easy to get to.

“There was no speed on the ball,” Newman said. “I think we could have had another three or four goals if the shots had been just a little harder. Dowler got to the ball only because they weren’t hit properly.”

The main man for Tacoma (13-15) was second-year forward Shawn Medved, who scored a pair, including the game-winner.

“We really needed this one,” Medved said before making a prediction. “We’re going to make the playoffs. We’re eight in a row at home. We just have to keep rolling--and work on our road game.”

The Stars have a long way to go to reach that goal. The Sockers have beaten Tacoma 15-4, 9-4 and 8-3 at the Sports Arena.

“We made the most of our opportunities,” Medved said. “They’re a tough team. They have a strong offense and a lot of speed. We tucked in (on defense) and we broke on them.”

Stars Coach Keith Weller pointed out Tacoma hadn’t played well against the Sockers in the first four games.

“The boys knew we could beat them if (we strung) some passes together and created some chances. It was an excellent game. Obviously, playing at home helps us. We’re a lot more confident,” he said.

Tacoma built a 4-0 lead before things turned in the Sockers’ favor, albeit too little, too late.

At 7:38 of the third, Tim Wittman got the Sockers on the board, hitting a left-footer from left wing off the right post and in.

The Sockers then dodged a pair of bullets--goalie Victor Nogueira snuffing a breakaway against Gary Heale, and defender David Banks clearing a Medved shot off the line.

San Diego installed Kevin Crow as the sixth attacker with 6:01 remaining, and trimmed the lead to 4-2 at 10:11. That’s when Paul Dougherty headed in a saved shot by Terry Woodberry from the right post.

The early going was downright bizarre.

By the time Medved scored his second goal of the game at 3:17 to give Tacoma a 3-0 lead, the Sockers’ Paul Wright had more shots on the goal (seven) than did the Stars (six).

Medved’a goal, at 3:17 of the third period, was a beauty. On the run across the top of the area, he fired low and true--so quickly that Nogueira barely had time to move.

At 5:36, Tacoma’s Heale, from right wing, volleyed a ball toward the far post that bounced in off Banks.

At that point Tacoma had eight shots and four goals. The Sockers had 20 shots and no goals.

It was only the third time this season that the Sockers have drawn a blank in a half (the other two were also in the first half).

Former Socker Jim Gabarra, at 9:20 of the first quarter, scored the first goal with a low, left-footed drive from a tough angle on left wing. He waited for Heale’s pass off the boards, turned, and fired, beating Nogueira inside the right post.

At 10:36, the Stars struck again. Medved, posted in the penalty area, redirected a ball by Dale Mitchell for the 2-0 lead.