| Andre Press Sports Ticker Purple Haze Suffocates Sudwerk By Andre Gilbert AP Soccer Writer DAVIS, Calif., April 26 -- Purple Haze stormed FC Sudwerk's penalty area in the second half, netting six goals, to sail to an impressive 8-2 victory on Thursday night. The defeat dropped Sudwerk to 0-2 in DARSL play in its first season in the prestigious outdoor co-ed league. In addition to the disappointing game result, the red-and-black suffered the loss of star striker Ralph Garcia, who pulled a hamstring late in the match. Garcia, who scored last week in Sudwerk's season opener, could be out for two to three weeks, club officials said. "I think we've seen how good the quality of play can be in this league," said Ramal Werdna, the president and CEO of FC Sudwerk. "Purple Haze is obviously a solid team. That gives us something to shoot for, to be able to match up with a team like that." Sudwerk is scheduled to play Purple Haze again on June 28 in its season finale. On the bright side, the red-and-black's two goals were beautifully executed and two newcomers to the club, Kevin Khalaf and Abby Nalwalker, delivered fine performances. Khalaf, a striker acquired from Ajax Amsterdam, was relegated to filling in on Sudwerk's defense for most of the game, but scored on a well-taken, bending shot from the 18-yard line just before full time. With Garcia out, Khalaf is likely to start at right forward next week, Werdna said. Nalwalker, brought on from WUSA's San Diego Spirit, ran the right halfback wing position to perfection, sprinting forward during attacks and working one-two passes well with right midfielder Armando Murrieta. "We've really got some talent," Werdna said. "The great thing is you can see that this club has all the elements, and we just need to meld them together." The first half featured a close match, with Purple Haze scoring its first goal at the 22-minute mark on a questionable penalty kick call. The referee pointed to the 12-yard line after the ball deflected off of defender Aaron Stephens' arm in the penalty area. Purple Haze followed that with another goal in the 24th minute to take a 2-0 lead. The balance of the half appeared rather even, with Sudwerk coming close to scoring on two shots by striker Jeannine Henderson. In the second half, though, Sudwerk's defense and midfield tired, and Purple Haze flooded the red-and-black's zone with attackers, finishing nicely on several goals. In the 57th minute, Henderson put Sudwerk on the board with a crisp shot after a nice passing combination sprung the striker open just inside the box. That put the score at 3-1, but Purple Haze quickly countered, notching two goals in rapid succession and putting the game out of reach. Werdna said he isn't discouraged. The team is still making the transition from indoor to outdoor soccer, he said. "We're getting adjusted to playing on a full outdoor field. So we've got to work on defensive organization, and making sure midfielders come back on defense to help out. Also, our players need more playing time together," Werdna said. "However, we have many skillful players and we've shown we can score," he said. "I think we're very close to putting it all together." Sudwerk's next game is at 7 p.m. Thursday against Stone/Monkeys. Then the team will have a bye the following week before returning to league action on May 17. ## |