Fallbrook High represented in present and past Sockers' teams

Chris Toth was less than six minutes away from his first professional indoor soccer shutout Jan. 21, but the 2007 Fallbrook High School graduate was satisfied with the San Diego Sockers' 5-2 victory over Soles de Sonora in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) game played at the Valley View Casino Center, which was the San Diego Sports Arena when the participants in the halftime alumni game played for the Sockers.

Toth's father, Zoltan Toth, coached the Gold alumni team and the Gold players included former Fallbrook High School coach Waad Hirmez, who scored a goal in the Gold team's 4-3 victory over the Blue squad.

The Sockers drew 5,250 fans to their Jan. 21 MASL game and the halftime alumni game. "It's our biggest crowd of the year," said Sockers general manager Sean Bowers.

The primary contest could also be considered one of the Sockers' biggest games of the year. San Diego was on the losing end of its previous match, a 7-6 contest Jan. 14 against the Kansas City Comets, which gave the Sockers their first home loss of the season and took the San Diego team out of first place in the Pacific Division. The Sonora squad entered the Jan. 21 game with a 10-1 record and the Southwest Division lead.

Sonora took 18 shots on goal during the first half, but Chris Toth made 18 saves and his teammates gave the Sockers a 3-0 lead when the 2016-17 team went to the locker room and the former Sockers took the field for a twelve-minute game with a running clock.

The alumni were divided into the Gold and Blue teams in an effort to provide the most competitive distribution, and 13 players were on each squad. Normally five players plus a goalkeeper are on the field for each team at a time in the absence of a penalty, but eight players along with Gold goalie Phil Salvagio and Blue netminder Nik Owcharuk were on the field for each side.

Zoltan Toth has previously played in old-timers games, most recently in 2015, but no longer considers his knees to be in good enough shape to participate as a player.

"I think I'm retired from old-timers," said Zoltan Toth. "You push it to the limit, you can get hurt."

Zoltan Toth, who turned 61 on Dec. 29, spent four seasons with the New York Arrows of the Major Indoor Soccer League before the Sockers acquired him in 1984. His six years with the Sockers included five MISL championships, a 93-49 record with two shutouts and a 3.66 goals against average during regular-season play, a 29-13 playoff record along with a 3.74 goals against average in the post-season, and selection as the MISL goalkeeper of the year for 1987-88 when his goals against average of 2.94 led the league. Toth closed out his career with the St. Louis Steamers for the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons. In February 2011 the Sockers retired Toth's uniform number.

"I love the alumni game," Zoltan Toth said.

Zoltan Toth lived in Oceanside when he played for the Sockers and moved to Fallbrook in 1996. His three children all graduated from Fallbrook High School. Zack Toth, who is Zoltan Toth's son and Chris Toth's brother, graduated from Fallbrook High School in 2004 and played for Hirmez, who was the Warriors' coach in 2000-01 and 2001-02.

Hirmez, who is now 55, was with the outdoor Sockers in 1981 and 1983 and began his indoor career with the Sockers in 1984. He concluded his nine indoor seasons with the team in 1994, when the Sockers were in the summer Continental Indoor Soccer League.

"It brings back the good memories from the old days," Hirmez said of the alumni game. "We see each other once a year. It's a beautiful thing."

Less than 40 seconds into the game, Wes Wade scored to give the Gold team a 1-0 lead. The Blue coach, Guy Newman, played for the Sockers and is also the son of Ron Newman, who was the Sockers' coach when Zoltan Toth and Hirmez were members of the club. "The fastest goals were designed by Ron," Zoltan Toth said.

Braeden Cloutier scored for the Blue team to tie the game after about a minute and a half of play. With nearly three minutes elapsed, Cha Cha Namdar sent a ball towards the goal and Hirmez ensured that it evaded Owcharuk to give the Gold team a 2-1 lead.

"It was before the line," said Hirmez. "I just touched it in."

Namdar scored nearly a minute later to make the score 3-1. In the sixth minute, Owcharuk saved Hirmez's shot on goal. Namdar's goal in the ninth minute gave the Gold contingent a 4-1 advantage. Although goals by Paul Wright and Paul Dougherty narrowed the margin to 4-3, the Gold held on for the victory.

"I think it was the best alumni game we've ever had here," said Bowers.

"It was fantastic," Hirmez said.

Zoltan Toth is the Sockers' goalkeeper coach. He was a paid coach during the 2015-16 season and is coaching Chris Toth and Boris Pardo on a volunteer basis this season.

"Boris is another goalie who is very talented," Zoltan Toth said.

Zoltan Toth doesn't mind his son being complemented by Pardo in the nets. "Every team needs two goalies," he said.

Zoltan Toth was joined at the goalkeeper position by Jim Gorsek and Victor Nogueira while with the Sockers. Shep Messing was the Arrows' other goalkeeper during Toth's years with that team, and Slobo Ilijevski shared Steamers goalkeeping duties with Toth.

Pardo was the Sockers' goalkeeper in the loss to Kansas City, which was Pardo's 2015-16 team. Chris Toth entered the Jan. 21 game with a .797 save percentage, having stopped 126 of 158 shots on goal.

"You can see his improvement," Zoltan Toth said of his son.

The elder Toth noted the need to think out a game in advance. "I always meditate before a game," Zoltan Toth said. "I try to play it in my head."

Most indoor soccer players initially play the outdoor version of the game.

"Mental preparedness is more important in this game," Zoltan Toth said. "The game is so fast. You don't have time for a mistake."

The Sockers played outdoor seasons from 1978 to 1984 and began indoor play with the 1980-81 North American Soccer League season. The Sockers were inactive between 1997 and 2000 and between 2005 and 2008.

San Diego's lead over Sonora was 4-0 after the third period, and Chris Toth had stopped 23 Soles shots. Before Franck Tayou scored for Soles with 5:44 remaining in the fourth period, the Sockers held a 5-0 lead.

Tayou's goal was the Soles' 27th shot of the game.

Losing the shutout after 54 minutes and 16 seconds didn't bother Chris Toth.

"Who cares? It's a win," said Chris Toth said. "The shutout means nothing."

Chris Toth made a total of 29 saves in the game. "It was a total team effort, so it came down to defense," he said. "We needed this one. We needed to bounce back."

Zoltan Toth had two shutouts with the Sockers – in January 1986 against the Wichita Wings and in December 1989 against the Steamers.