Comets Beat Wave for First Win

After a disappointing result at home in their opener against Cedar Rapids last week, the Comets took care of business on Friday night against the Milwaukee Wave. A very different Wave side from the team that the Comets have seen the last few years hung with the Comet s early on, but in the end the Comets veteran players stepped up to push the Comets to an 11-4 win.

Things kicked off quickly with the Wave getting a blue card in the first nine seconds of the game after Andre Hayne came in “studs up” on Stephen Paterson as he tried to clear a ball away. The Comets couldn’t capitalize on the power play, hitting the post once, but controlled the first quarter. It wasn’t until late in the quarter though that the Comets finally took advantage of the possession and scored two goals in a 21 second span. The first an own goal created to Milan Ivanovic as Hans Denissen headed a ball into his own net. Seconds later the Comets pinned the Wave in their own end and Nacho Flores picked out Brian Harris who put the ball into the empty net as Rafael Dias had come off his line.

The second quarter saw the Comets extend their lead scoring here more times, while the Wave was able to get onto the board. Just under six minutes in Ramone Palmer started the scoring after bouncing on a loose ball after a heavy touch. The ball got wide to Guerrero Pino who played the ball back across field to a streaking Palmer who scored.  Just over a minute later John Sosa got on the board after being played into the middle by Leo Gibson he flicked the ball up over Dias and smashed it into the empty net to make it 4-0. Shortly after the teams traded power play goals with the Wave scoring through Hayne and Gibson getting his first goal of the night pouncing on a rebound spilled by Dias.

The Comets quickly extended their four goal lead to five, just 50 seconds in; Gibson played a cross to Palmer that the Jamaican put home to make 6-1. From there the Wave and Comets traded goals with Denissen making up for his early own goal taking advantage of the Comets failure to clear the ball out of their own box.  Shortly after that though Gibson scored his second goal of the night working a nice give and go with Vahid Assadpour before firing a ball into the net to put the Comets back up by five at 7-2. Late in the quarter though the Wave cut the lead back to four on a counter attack as Paterson came up with a good save on the first effort but on the rebound Andrew Wiedabach’s shot was directed in by Ian Bennett to make it 7-3 after three quarters.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter the Wave were able to cut the lead to just three when Drew Ruggles blasted a ball past Paterson. From there though the Comets ran away from the Wave, scoring the final four goals to put the Wave away for an 11-4 win. Assadpour got the scoring started just over six minutes into the quarter working a long give and go with Harris before calmly shooting the ball under Dias. A minute later, Gibson became provider, racing down the side and playing the ball into the middle for Bryan Perez who put the ball into the far corner. The pressure continued as Gibson got his hattrick on the power play toe poking a shot from the top of the arc into the corner. Two minutes later the Comets finished the game off with another goal by Gibson as he held off a challenge from Ruggles to fire a shot past Dias to make it 11-4.

Comets Fall in Opener

One year after needing an extended overtime to defeat the expansion Cedar Rapids Rampage in their season opener, the Kansas City Comets fell to the same Rampage 5-3 on opening night of the 2016-2017 season.

Things started extremely bright for the Comets as Milan Ivanovic scored less than a minute into the first quarter to put the Comets on top 1-0. Late in the first quarter, new signing, Guerrero Pino, doubled the lead with a volley on a lofted ball into the box by John Sosa to make it 2-0 by the end of the first quarter. The Rampage have made a number of additions in the offseason, many of them coming from the Milwaukee Wave. In the second quarter, one of those signings, Tony Walls cut the lead to one for the Comets making it 2-1 as the two teams headed into half time.

The third quarter saw Walls again score about half way through the period to tie the game at 2-2. That was the only scoring in the third quarter, but in the fourth the Rampage ran away from the Comets. First Gordy Gurson scored to give the Rampage their first lead of the game, then player/coach Hewerton Moreira scored a pair of goals to put the Rampage up 5-2. The Comets tried to force a comeback, similar to what they'd done last year against the Rampage, but all they could get was a second goal from Ivanovic with four minutes left to cut the lead to 5-3.

The Comets return to action Friday when they'll host the Milwaukee Wave.

Comets Defense Steps Up in Win over Milwaukee

In what turned into a tight defensive effort, the Missouri Comets closed out their busy after Christmas schedule welcoming the Milwaukee Wave to the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena for the first game of the New Year. The two teams who played a tight game a month ago at the SEC again played a superb defensive game.

The game started out going back and forth between both teams. Both Missouri and Milwaukee had some decent chances but Boris Pardo and Nick Vorberg both came up with some big saves early on. It wasn’t until the game was almost 10 minutes old that the first goal was scored. The Comets had had pressure on the Wave, pinning them in their own end. The goal came after a Vahid Assadpour shot was knocked wide of the goal by Vorberg. At the back side though was Milan Ivanovic who unmarked knocked the ball into the net putting the Comets up 1-0 and atoning for an earlier miss when he’d missed a goal on the doorstep. Twenty seconds later the Comets were able to put themselves up 2-0. The Comets high pressure forced a high pass to Vorberg who was outside the box. The Wave goalkeeper tried to bring the ball down on his chest but Stefan Stokic knocked the ball away and raced towards goal but was brought down by Vorberg from behind in the box. With a penalty kick give, Assadpour stepped up and buried a penalty kick for his first goal of the night to double the Comets lead. The Comets were able to add another goal before the quarter ended as Gibson beat his defender in the corner and fired a shot into the far post to put the Comets on top 3-0 after one quarter.

Like the first quarter, the second quarter continued with a tight performance. The Comets controlled a good portion early on, but as the quarter continued the Wave started to get more of the ball. Around the midpoint of the quarter though the Comets added a fourth goal to their total as a long ball over the top found Gibson. The Comets forward chipped a ball into the box where Ivanovic had arrived to head the ball past Vorberg and into the net. Shortly after the goal though the Wave were able to get themselves on the board through a shootout attempt of their own through Max Ferdinand. After Stokic almost made Vorberg pay again for a poor giveaway the ball the Wave countered the other way through Ferdinand. Robert Palmer fell down while in pursuit, leaving Ferdinand one on one with Pardo. The Comets goalkeeper pushed Ferdinand wide but fouled the Wave midfielder just outside the box drawing a blue card and shootout that Ferdinand put away himself. The Comets did a good job of shutting down the Wave attack by playing keep away and were able to go into the half up 4-1.

The defensive effort by both teams continued into the second half as neither side was able to get themselves on the board early on in the third quarter. Both teams had their chances but the defense on both teams was able to shut down the chances and when they didn’t the goalkeepers kept the ball out of the net. It wasn’t until there less than five minutes left in the quarter that the Comets scored, but it was worth the wait as Max Touloute on his return from injury fired a blistering effort into the far corner to make it 5-1 to the Comets.

The Wave started to apply more pressure in the fourth quarter needing to cut the lead down. The Comets though were getting more chances on the counter but Vorberg continued to come up big. The saves proved to be worth it as the Wave were able to cut the lead to three just over the half way point of the quarter. Kevin Ten Eyck handled a Milwaukee cross in the box, drawing a blue card and giving the Wave a penalty kick. Ferdinand stepped up and sent it right down the middle to make it 5-2 with just over seven minutes left. As soon as the Wave won the ball back off the kickoff they went to the sixth attacker bringing another player up the field to try to cut further into the lead. The Comets defense held firm and kept the Wave out of the net, but were unable to hit on the counter. With less than three minutes left though the Wave began to make it interesting as a pair of goals by Ian Bennett in the span of 16 seconds made it a one goal game at 5-4. The Wave continued to pressure, keeping the Comets pinned in their own end looking to find that last goal to tie the game up, but the Comets defense stepped up again late and kept the Wave from getting a clear chance at goal with Stokic getting the final block right as the clock hit zero to preserve the win.

Comets Use Second Half Run to Top Rampage

The Missouri Comets closed out 2015 with a big win over the Cedar Rapids Rampage in the second of three games this week. The Comets used a big second half run, scoring six unanswered from the start of the third quarter to blow the game open as Missouri won 11-4.

Unfortunately for the Comets just like in Tuesday night's loss to the St. Louis Ambush, the Comets fell behind on an early goal as former Comet Patrick Kelly scored an early goal to give the Rampage the lead. Unlike Tuesday night though the Comets made their possession pay off in the first quarter as the Comets tied it up with less than five minutes left in the quarter off a goal from Vahid Assadpour after the Comets won the ball in the Rampage end. The Comets were able to take their first lead of the game before the end of the quarter as Leo Gibson flicked a long ball into the path of Milan Ivanovic who knocked the ball into the net off the far post.

It didn't take long for the Rampage to tie things up in the second quarter though as Jacob Johnson scored less than two minutes into the quarter to tie the game at 2-2. The Comets though retook the lead before the midpoint of the quarter as John Sosa found the back of the net. Less than two minutes later the Comets had doubled their lead after Ramone Palmer picked out Leo Gibson at the back post, Gibson fired home to make it 4-2 for the Comets. Missouri made it 5-2 as Kiel Williams got on the end of some quickly passing by the Comets. Under a minute left the Rampage pulled a goal back as Semir Mesanovic scored off a feed from Chile Farias off a restart.

The third quarter is when the Comets really took over the game. Six minutes in the Comets scored two goals in about a 30 second span with Robert Palmer scoring both to extend the lead to 7-3. The Comets added onto their lead just over 10 minutes into the third with another pair of goals in a one minute span. This time it was Lucas Rodriguez and Assadpour who scored to extend the lead to 9-3 before the quarter ended.

The Comets extended their scoring run early in the fourth quarter as Ramone Palmer got on the board less than a minute in. Missouri continued to push and were able to add an 11th goal with just over eight minutes played while on the power play with Rodriguez getting his second of the game. The Comets killed the majority of the rest of the game but with less than a minute left Farias got the Rampage one last consolation goal to make the final score 11-4 Comets. Missouri will now return home where they'll finish their three game in five day stretch with a game

Comets Ruin Waltman's Homecoming

Danny Waltman was the Missouri Comets goalkeeper for the first five years of their re-birth in indoor soccer, he endeared himself to the fans with his personality, showmanship, and of course his play on the field. This offseason though he returned to Washington to join the Tacoma Stars in their first full season in the MASL. Last night Waltman and the Stars came to the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena but it wasn't a welcome homecoming for Waltman as the Comets ran away from the Stars winning 12-5.

The Stars actually came out as the much more aggressive side in the game pressing the Comets hoping to force mistakes. The Comets though were able to get on the board first through Lucas Rodriguez off a restart. Tacoma though was able to capitalize on their high pressure though as they scored a pair of goals through Jamael Cox and Derek Johnson to end the first quarter ahead 2-1.

The high pressure kept the Comets at bay for a good portion of the second quarter as well. But just over half way through the Comets finally leveled the score as Milan Ivanovic slotted a ball from the top of the box into the corner past Waltman. The goal started a quick run for the Comets as 39 seconds later Bryan Perez gave the Comets the lead again as he tapped home a shot from inside the box after Leo Gibson dribbled down the side and got Waltman to commit. The Comets weren't done either as 31 seconds after that Ramone Palmer scored to put the Comets up 4-2 which is where the two teams were at as they headed into half time.

The third quarter saw the Comets extend their lead further, outscoring the Stars 3-1. After Perez and Tacoma's Tyrone Hall traded goals in the first nine minutes of the quarter, the Comets were able to pull further away. First Rodriguez got his second goal of the game again off a restart on a power play, then a minute and a half later John Sosa extended the lead to 7-3 after a few failed chances on the line weren't collected or cleared by the Stars defense.

In the fourth the Comets were able to extend the lead further. All the scoring though occurred in the second half of the quarter. After controlling the first half of the quarter but unable to extend the lead until just over seven minutes had been played when Waltman got caught in possession outside his box. Robert Palmer played the ball into the middle for Vahid Assadpour who needed two chances but scored to make it 8-3. A minute later some good interplay between Gibson and Ramone Palmer led to another goal as Palmer fed Robert Palmer to make it 9-4. Ten seconds later the Stars had pulled a goal back with Hall scoring his second goal of the game. The Comets responded in kind as Gibson scored his first goal of the game as he was unmarked at the back post to finish a Perez cross. The Stars threw more numbers forward trying to find a way back into the game with Waltman basically playing as a sixth attacker quite often. The high line though allowed the Comets to counter as Gibson sprung Robert Palmer who scored his second goal of the game to make it 11-4. With less than a minute left the Comets finished off their scoring as Gibson scored from midfield as Waltman was up field. After the goal Waltman removed his gloves and threw them into the stands as he'd done during his time in KC. His teammate Raphael Cox wasn't done though as he added on one more goal for the Stars to finish the game at 12-5.

Comets Overcome Defensive Absences, Come Back to Beat Cedar Rapids

The Missouri Comets kicked off the 2015-2016 MASL season at the SEC Arena against the expansion Cedar Rapids Rampage. The Comets entered the game down three of their defenders with Brian Harris and John Sosa suspended and with the US futsal team while Alain Matingou was injured. Their absence was readily apparent as the expansion Rampage gave Missouri all they could handle. The Comets had to come back multiple times, including three goals in the final three minutes to force overtime.

The first quarter saw the Comets jump out early and they had a number of opportunities to grab the lead, but the Rampage defense was working overtime. The Comets paid the lack of finishing their early chances as five and a half minutes in Elmo Neto picked up a sloppy pass by Stefan Stokic and beat Boris Pardo low to the corner to give the Rampage the lead. The Comets continued to control the half, including a power play, but couldn’t find the net as the quarter ended with the Rampage up 1-0.

The Comets continued their early possession in the second quarter and finally made it pay off. Max Touloute collected a rebound of his own shot and fired it into the upper corner to tie the game less than two minutes into the quarter. Less than two minutes later Touloute raced onto a bouncing ball into the corner and fired a shot into the far corner to give the Comets a 2-1 lead. Near the midpoint of the quarter the Rampage got themselves back level as Hewerton Moreira turned his defender and beat Pardo to the near post to level the game at 2-2. The game started to get physical as the quarter went on, with the Rampage picking many of their seven that quarter up late. One of those fouls led to the Comets third goal as Gibson slotted a restart right outside the box to Lucas Rodriguez in the corner where Rodriguez knocked the ball into the net to make it 3-2. This is where the quarter ended although the Comets had another power play to end it.

The third quarter saw the Comets take advantage of their possession again early in the quarter. Vahid Assadpour received the ball on the sideline, dribbled at his defender and fired a shot into the corner to make it 4-2. With the two goal lead the Comets continued to push but the lack of the suspended Sosa and Harris and an injured Alain Matingou, the Comets had little in the way of defense and got caught on the counter a minute after taking the two goal lead as a pass forward by Joey Kapinos found Neto all alone in Missouri’s half. With help coming on his left Neto took it himself and scored to make it 4-3. Near the half way point the Rampage tied it as the Comets couldn’t clear a restart and Armando Tello touched a ball in at the post to tie the game at 4-4.

In the fourth quarter the Comets defensive issues again came up as they failed to clear their end and Sam Cuernsey jumped on a loose ball and knocked it in to put the Rampage back on top. The Comets though responded just over a minute later as they forced a turnover in the Rampage end, Ramone Palmer knocked the ball across to Milan Ivanovic who fired into the net to tie the game 5-5. The Comets raced forward looking to retake the lead and proceeded to get run ragged by the Rampage on the counter. Less than a minute after tying the game, Hewerton and Alfee Robbins countered with Robbins beating Pardo to make it 6-5 Rampage. A little over a minute later it was another counter to make it 7-5. The first effort was missed but Alex Megson recovered the ball and beat Pardo. A third counter in the span of three minutes made it 8-5 as a turnover by Robert Palmer in the Rampage end saw Tello get the ball. As Pardo rushed forward to try to win it ball Tello played Robbins through who walked the ball into the net to make it 8-5. Down three the Comets threw everything forward, eventually going to the sixth attacker with just over three minutes left. With the extra attacker the Comets started their come back. First Ramone Palmer received the ball in the corner and beat Kapinos hit to the back post. A minute and a half later Leo Gibson scored his first of the night, finding himself all alone in the middle of Cedar Rapids’ defense Gibson scored to make it a one goal game. With under a minute left the Comets won a free kick and an extra man after Touloute was brought down. In virtually a carbon copy of his first goal of the night, Gibson played the ball to Rodriguez at the back post and he tapped it home to tie the game with 20 seconds left.

The game headed into overtime where the Comets continued to dominate the majority of the play but they couldn’t find the back of the net. The Comets kept the Rampage pinned in their own end but without a goal it looked like the teams were going to be headed towards a shootout. With just over three minutes left though the Comets won as Assadpour collected a ball in the corner and fired a ball across the box. Robert Palmer had crashed the box and bundled the ball into the empty net to give the Comets the come from behind win and move them to 1-0 on the season.

Comets Steamroll Revolution to Remain Unbeaten

It took a little while for the Missouri Comets to get going tonight against the Tulsa Revolution, but once they did, the Revolution didn't stand a chance as the Comets cruised to an 18-2 win over their Central division foe.

The Comets controlled play early, but the Revolution were up for the game. Just over five minutes in, new signing, Josh Gardner fired from long range to put the Comets up 1-0. They doubled their lead just over nine minutes in off a quick restart as Brian Harris fed the ball to Vahid Assadpour who scored his first of the night. Thirty seconds later though the Revolution were on the board after Danny Waltman couldn't hold onto an initial shot by Jose Junior, and Lucas Almeida turned it home to cut the lead in half. That's actually how the first quarter ended as the Comets looked to be going through the motions against an obviously inferior opponent.

The Comets though woke themselves up in the second quarter and did so quickly as Bryan Perez scored off an assist from Kiel Williams less than a minute in to make it 3-1. The Comets continued to press early in the quarter and were able to add to their lead. Just over two minutes in, John Sosa found the net off a feed from Gardner on a restart. Thirty seconds later, Andre Braithwaite cut inside his defender and curled a shot into the far corner past the goalkeeper to make it 5-1 Comets. The Comets continued to dominate play but were unable to add to their lead as the quarter continued to tick by. With less than five minutes left, it was the Revolution who got themselves back within three goals as Almeida fired a restart at the yellow line past Waltman and into the net to make it 5-2. That goal seemed to wake the Comets up as over the final three minutes of the quarter the Comets proceeded to find the net four more times to close the half out at 9-2. First Braithewaite scored his second of the game, again firing into the far corner after cutting inside. Leo Gibson then got himself on the goal scoring with a pair of goals. First one came off a restart, his first effort was saved by Richard Nolasco, but the rebound fell right back to him and he fired home. Then a minute later, Stefan Stokic headed a ball up field that got behind the Tulsa defender, Gibson hit the shot into the net on the side volley to make it 8-2. Finally, with just under a minute left, Alain Matingou finished off the scoring off an assist from Sosa on another restart, the Comets fourth of the night.

The third quarter saw the Comets continue to pressure the Revolution and they were rewarded by extending their lead. First Assadpour scored his second of the match off an assist from Gardner for the Comets' captain's second of the night to extend the lead to 10-2. The lead went to 11 when the Comets were on the power play just over five minutes in as Gardner knocked home a pass from Perez to get the power play goal. Milan Ivanovic got in on the effort less than seven minutes in, finishing off a wall pass from Stokic to make it 12-2. The Revolution just couldn't handle the Comets pressure nor the skill that they possessed. With just over five minutes late, Gibson set up Perez for his second of the game. Assadpour rounded out the scoring for the quarter on the power play finishing off his hattrick on another feed from Gardner to make it 14-2 after three quarters.

Like the second quarter, the Comets came out quick in the fourth, as Perez finished off a scoop pass from Gibson to finish off his hattrick and extend the lead to 15-2. The pressure continued and just over three minutes in, Braithwaite finished off his hattrick to make it 16-2. And less than a minute later, the Comets had their fourth hattrick of the night as Gardner got to a wall pass from Sosa first to knock the ball home to give him three goals to go with his three assists on the night.

Things took a bad turn for the Comets though shortly after that. Saving a shot from the Revolution, Waltman went down in his own box and stayed down. Waltman walked off under his own power, but was replaced in goal by defender Brian Harris as the team did not dress two goalkeepers. The Comets proceeded to play the final 10 plus minutes with the sixth attacker. The Comets didn't miss a beat though, keeping more possession with Harris in goal and they were even able to add to their lead to make it 18-2 as Matingou scored his second of the night off an assist from Gibson. During the media timeout in the fourth though there was more bad news for the Comets as Ivanovic walked off the bench and into the locker room with his left arm in a sling. Waltman (ankle) and Ivanovic (collar bone) will be evaluated this week, but with Coady Andrews and Ramoe Palmer still questionable for Friday night against St. Louis, the Comets injury woes continue. Still, with Harris in goal the Comets were able to easily handle the Revolution, who only managed two shots on Harris during his time in net as the Comets were able to take all the air out of the game and just kill it with possession on their way to their 12th win of the season.

Comets Lack Intensity but Still Cruise

It's not often that you say a blow out win was less than impressive, but that's exactly what tonight's Missouri Comets win over the Harrisburg Heat was. Playing their only game of the regular season under the old multi-point scoring system, the Missouri Comets brushed aside the winless Heat 24-10, but overall the performance just felt flat watching the game. This feeling was shared by at least one of the Comets players, Max Touloute, on Twitter who asked after the game "why does this feel like a loss." 

The Comets did come out with some fire though, scoring two goals within two and a half minutes of the game starting with Robert Palmer and Leo Gibson both being set up by Touloute to make it 4-0. The Heat struck back to make it 4-2 before the three minute mark. Palmer quickly restored the Comets two goal lead just after three minutes. From there the Comets seemed to settle into the game content to play around. Bryan Perez did add another goal on the power play to make it 8-2 near the midpoint of the half. It looked like if the Comets wanted they could blow the game wide open, but they never got out of first gear. With less than a minute left in the quarter Milan Ivanovic scored from inside the box to make it 10-2 at the end of one quarter.

The second quarter saw the Comets continue to but do so in a very laid back manner. Just 18 seconds in though Andrew Braithwaite made it 12-2 for the Comets. Palmer finished off his hattrik around the midpoint of the quarter making it 14-2 by the media timeout of the quarter. Late in the quarter the Comets allowed the Heat to cut the lead back to 10 at 14-4 where the teams went into halftime at.

The third quarter saw no scoring as the Comets continued to stay in first gear. Whether that was by design or struggle to get up against an inferior opponent is one that could be debated. Counting tonight's 24-10 (12-5) win, the Comets have won their four games against teams in the old PASL by an average of 8 goals a game. Their other win was a 9-7 win over the Milwaukee Wave.

The fourth quarter saw the teams come out scoring after the scoreless third. The Comets rattled off three goals in the first three minutes with Perez, Vahid Assadpour, and Stefan Stokic all finding the net, two were assisted by Gibson giving him four on the night to go with his one goal. After the Heat cut the lead to 20-6, The Comets scored twice more in less than a minute to go to 24-6 with Braithwaite and Assadpour both finding net for the second time. In the last five minutes the Heat made the score closer, scoring twice to end the game at 24-10.

Still the game never felt that close, the Comets just never seemed to really turn their game on. They'll have to turn it on come Friday when they return home to take on the Chicago Mustangs who surprised the Wave tonight 5-4 to give the former PASL teams their first win over one of the MISL's "big 3" (Baltimore, Milwaukee, Missouri).

Comets Come Back to Beat Wave

After the Missouri Comets had won their first two games on the road this season they returned home for their home opener against the rival Milwaukee Wave. After games against the Dallas Sidekicks and Chicago Mustangs this game looked set to be one of the more competitive games of the year and it certainly lived up to it's billing as the two teams went back and forth throughout the night.

The Wave came out as the more agressive side at the start of the game, looking to dictate the tempo. The Comets early on had their best chances on the break. The early aggression paid off for the Wave with just under six minutes played as Bato Randoncic held up a long ball before laying it into the path of Marcelo Fontana who fired home for the early 1-0 lead. After the opening goal, the Comets had the better of the opportunites with Andrew Braithwaite forcing a good save and Vahid Assadpour firing just high. The Wave had their opportunities too as Brian Harris had to clear one off the line with his heal while on his back. Under five mintues left, the Wave doubled the lead countering a mis-step of a restart. Danny Waltman made the initial save, but Randoncic collected the rebound and fired the ball across to the JC Banks who tapped home to make it 2-0. With less than a minute and a half left the Wave capped off their first quarter domination as Randoncic picked up his third assist laying off a pass for Marco Leite who danced around his defender and fired past Waltman to make it 3-0. The Comets though were able to respond immediatley. Coming down the field Milan Ivanovic had a shot saved, the rebound was knocked over to Leo Gibson who had his shot blocked right into the path of Ivanovic who headed the ball in. Ivanovic paid for it taking a boot to the face while he headed the ball in. The Comets continued the pressure after the kick off and were able to get another goal just before the end of the quarter as Leo Gibson fired a shot off the boards into the path of Max Touloute who knocked the ball home to make it 3-2 as the quarter ended.

The Wave came out for the second quarter and continued to absorb the Comets pressure as Missouri looked for an equalizer. They were able to take the pressure and then capitalized on a mistake by Waltman to extend their lead. Pressure by the Wave led Waltman to play the ball up the middle where Tenzin Rampa stepped in front of the Comets and poked the ball home past Waltman to make it 4-2. The game continued to be back and forth until Bryan Perez picked up a blue card for pushing just over seven minutes into the quarter. The Wave took advantage of the extra man as Banks got his second goal of the night. The goal actually went in off the foot of Coady Andrews and into the net. The deflection left Waltman with no chance at all. Late on in the quarter, the Comets were able to keep the Wave pinned deep in their own end and finally found a goal with just over two and a half minutes left in the quarter. It was an impressive finish by Braithwaite as the ball came over the top from Stefan Stokic. Braithwait let the ball bounce and fired it across his body, off the far post and into the net to make it 5-3.

While the Wave had come out extremely strong to start the first quarter, the Comets came out stronger in the third quarter. Just over a minute into the quarter, the Comets had the game within a goal as Gibson scored his first of the night. It was an impressive one from Gibson who kicked the ball off the side wall and with the spin it curled past Marcel Feenstra, off the far post and into the net. The Comets continued the early high pressure and just over two minutes into the quarter had the game tied 5-5. After some possession around the yellow line, John Sosa laid the ball off to Touloue. The Haitian got past his defender, cutting inside before firing a shot across his body that beat Feenstra to tie the game. The Comets continued the high pressure and seconds later were able to take the lead. Harris fired a cross into the middle where Robert Palmer turned the ball home to give the Comets their first lead of the night at 6-5. After a timeout, the Wave were able to reestablish themselves a bit getting more of the possession. They won themselves a power play that the Comets were able to kill off, but with just over nine minutes played in the quarter were back level. Anthony Arrico received a ball near the corner from Luan Sales Oliveira. Waltman had come a bit off his line and Arrico curled the ball into the far post to tie the game at 6-6. Late in the quarter the Comets retook the lead. Sosa set up the play with a nice through ball from midfield right into the path of Perez. He turned and fired the ball past Feenstra and into the net from the top of the penalty arc.

The Wave went looking for an equalizer early in the fourth quarter with high pressure and got some assistance from a Stokic blue card to help them keep the pressure. The Wave didn't score on the power play but almost immediately after it was over Ian Bennett found the equalizer again for the Wave. Bennett picked up a rebound, got some space dribbling into the middle of the field before firing a shot into the far corner to make it 7-7. The Comets put pressure on the Wave looking for another lead and found it near the midpoint of the half. Gibson received the ball from Harris near the top of the arc. Gibson took a nice touch, completely turned Jonathan Greenfield around before beating Feenstra top shelf. The Comets kept up the pressure looking to add to their lead and with five minutes to play they found the goal as Gibson turned and played the ball into the middle for Perez who hammered home his second of the night. The Wave tried to fight their way back into the game but were unable to as the Comets defense held strong on course for their third straight win to start the season.

Overall it was a very entertaining game between two of the better teams in the league as a whole. With only two games against the Wave this year and none for the Comets against the other MISL powerhouse, the Baltimore Blast, the Comets need to take advantage of these games against the Wave to really have themselves ready to go come playoff time. Compared to the first two games of the season you can still clearly see the gap between the best MISL teams (Milwaukee, Missouri, Baltimore) and the best teams from the PASL (Chicago, Dallas). Those teams will improve, but so far the gap is quite clear.

Comets Breeze Past Dallas in Season Opener

The Missouri Comets opened the 2014-2015 inaugural season of the MASL last night in Dallas against the Dallas Sidekicks. The Sidekick had been a solid playoff team last year in the PASL, losing just 2 games, and going undefeated at home.

Last night though, the Comets showed the talent gap that would appear to exist between the old MISL and the PASL teams. Missouri took the game to the Sidekicks, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and holding a 6-2 lead at half time before winning 13-4.

With the new single point scoring system, that the Comets play the score may not look as impressive as other wins may have last year, but against a Dallas side that was pretty good and was very good at home, the win is impressive.

The Comets got goals from seven different players in the game, including four from Leo Gibson and three from Vahid Assadpour both of whom also chipped in two assists. Assadpour opened the scoring just under four minutes into the game. Shortly after, Alain Matingou scored his first goal for the Comets to double the lead. Brian Harris, last year's MISL Finals MVP finished the first quarter scoring a few minutes before the break.

The second quarter saw the Comets continue their strong play as Gibson got his first of the game just over a minute into the game. Dallas did find the net just before the 10 minute mark in the quarter, but the Comets responded two times before the half as Gibson scored on a shoot out attempt and Coady Andrews scored on the break to make it 6-1 before Dallas scored a second seconds before half time to end the half at 6-2.

The third quarter, the Comets were able to extend their lead. After Milan Ivanovic and Dallas' Cameron Brown traded goals early on, the Comets scored four unanswered goals through Assadpour, Andrew Braithwaite, and two more power play goals from Gibson to end the quarter up 11-3.

The Sidekicks cup into the lead in the fourth and ended Missouri's string of goals early in the quarter. The Comets though seemed content to sit back some and just let the clock run out. They did find time though to add two more goals late in the quarter as Ivanovic and Assadpour both found net again to finish off Dallas 13-4.

The Comets will now head to Chicago to take on another former PASL team, last year's champions the Chicago Mustangs. So it'll be a champ vs champ match up. This may be the bigger test of the talent level between the old MISL teams and the PASL teams.

Comets Sweep St. Louis

From the Comets

 The Missouri Comets closed out their season series against the St. Louis Ambush with their sixth win versus the cross-state rival. Max Touloute led all scorers with five goals while Leo Gibson chipped in with four assists. Altogether, six different players scored for the Comets as they roll to a 27-6 victory.

Missouri got off to a hot start when Alex Megson tapped in a rebound off an early Gibson shot, then Max Touloute scored his first of night 30 seconds later to put the Comets up 4-0 in the first two minutes of the game. Stefan St. Louis and added a score before Touloute closed the opening period with another goal.

Leading 12-0, the Comets did not rest on their laurels and attacked with high pressure. John Sosa scored midway through the quarter and Touloute completed his hat trick towards the end of the half. Gibson assisted on three scores in the first half, helping his side to a 12-0 lead at the midway point.

The second half began just as the first did, with the Comets scoring less than 30 seconds into the period. This time Stefan Stokic found the net. Milan Ivanovic scored another impossible angle shot, followed by yet another Touloute score.

Leading 16-0, veteran goalkeeper Danny Waltman gave way to rookie Brendan Allen for the rest of the night.

The St. Louis Ambush finally got on the board with eight minutes remaining in the third period, but it was too little, too late for the home team.

Leo Gibson put his name in the goal-scorer column twice in the second half, after Touloute notched his fifth goal. The Ambush were able to score twice, but the Comets were never in danger as the finish 6-0 against their rivals from the east, final score 27-6.

Missouri travels to face the Milwaukee Wave at 2:00p.m. CT on Sunday, March 2nd for the final regular season game. With the win tonight, the Comets have secured the third seed in the MISL Playoffs and will face either the Wave or the Baltimore Blast on March 9th in Game 1 of the MISL Semi-Finals.

Comets Get Second Win in 24 Hours

ess than 24 hours after their final regular season home game last night, the Comets traveled nearly 600 miles north to face the league leading Milwaukee Wave. Behind a solid defense that only gave up two goals in the run of play, the Comets got their second victory over the weekend, beating the Wave 15-9 at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

This matchup of the league’s top two scoring teams started out as a defensive showcase. The teams traded stretches of possession with goalkeepers Danny Waltman of the Comets and Marcel Feenstra of the Wave each standing tall in their nets. Missouri’s John Sosa broke the stalemate in the final minute of the opening quarter, as the Comets led 2-0 after the first fifteen minutes

Defender Victor Quiroz got the Wave on the board after he caught Waltman too far off his line and launched a shot from just outside the Milwaukee zone. The Wave’s 3-2 lead only held for 34 seconds as Milan Ivanovic answered back for the Comets. Ivanovic found the net again three minutes later to grow the Comets lead to 6-3.

Just prior to the end of the half, a Milwaukee pass sent across the Comets penalty box careened off the hand of Missouri’s Sosa. The Wave’s Guiliano Oliviero converted the resulting penalty kick to get his team within 6-5 at the halftime break.

Defenses reasserted themselves in the third quarter as these two rivals fought for dominance in the game. The two teams traded goals in the third quarter with Lucas Rodriguez of Missouri and Marcio Leite of Milwaukee each finding the back of the net. After three periods, the Comets held a tight 8-7 lead.

Marcio Leite briefly regained the lead for Milwaukee just after the fourth quarter began, beating Waltman to his right side. Holding a 9-8 lead, the Wave fell into a defensive shell to try and preserve the lead and extend their nineteen game home winning streak.

As the only team to defeat the Wave this season, the Comets were confident down the stretch. Sosa found himself with the ball in the left corner of the Milwaukee end and laid off an easy pass to Lucas Rodriguez who hit the far side netting with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Stefan Stokic and Brian Harris each scored on the Wave’s sixth attacker, giving Missouri the 15-9 victory.

The Comets improve to 12-6 on the season and give them a 1.5 game lead over Syracuse for the third seed in the MISL Playoffs. The Wave drop to 15-3, with all three losses coming at the hands of the Comets.

The Comets are on the road for their final two games of the regular season, February 27th against St. Louis and March 2nd against Milwaukee. Missouri returns home for Game #1 of the MISL Playoffs on March 9th at 3:10p.m. CT. Fans can receive FREE playoff tickets by purchasing 2014-2015 Missouri Comets Season Tickets by March 4th. 

Comets Close Home Schedule With Win

The Missouri Comets closed out their regular season home schedule tonight in a tight game against their cross state rivals the St. Louis Ambush. Neither team was able to get too far ahead throughout the night as the teams traded goals for much of the game. The Ambush got the scoring just over a minute into the game as Danny Waltman tried to cut out a through ball. Unfortunately his sliding clearance hit off of St. Louis forward Corey Adamson and in for a 2-0 lead. The Comets responded immediately as Stefan St. Louis got the ball in the corner and then crossed to the back post where newly acquiured Max Touloute knocked it home to make it 2-2. A little over three minutes in though the Ambush were back in front.  Danny Waltman got caught up field and the Ambush countered. Lucky for Waltman, Andre Braithwaite got back and was able to block the shot. Unfortunately off the insuing restart, Odaine Sinclair was picked out by Michael Roach and the Ambush were back in front. Again the Comets response was immediate and again it came from the combination of St. Louis and Touloute. St. Louis got played through on a break away, but cut back as his defender rushed past him. He squared to Touloute who fired home to make it 4-4. The Ambush high pressured for much of the rest of the quarter. The Ambush also got some help as John Sosa picked up a blue card. Jake Bleyenberg took advantage of the power play and scored to give the Ambush the lead. Before the quarter was through the Ambush had extended their lead to four as Mike Mesle fired a shot into the corner to make it 8-4 Ambush after one quarter.

Early on in the second quarter the Comets had a number of good opportunities, especially for Milan Ivanovic. He had one chance saved by St. Louis goalkeeper Greg Crook and another hit the inside of the post. Finally he found net just two minutes in on a cross by Leo Gibson that IVanovic headed home to cut the St. Louuis lead to 8-6. Just over five minutes in the Comets went on the power play after Gibson was knocked into the boards. It didn't take long for the Comets to take advantage. After passing the ball around at the top of the box, Lucas Rodriguez played the ball into the corner for Bryan Perez. Perez turned and fired a shot into the roof of the net to tie the game at 8-8. Less than a minute later, the Ambush were back on top. After a Comets attack, Sinclair sprung Jeff DiMaria on a counter. He fired a shot from just outside the 3 point line that beat Waltman and made it 11-8 Ambush. Once again the Comets responded almost immediately as Perez got his second goal of the game. A cross by Ramone Palmer was cut out, but Perez was crashing the box and knocked the deflected cross past Crook and into the net to make it 11-10 Ambush.

Shortly after the half way point of the quarter, tempers started to get a little heated. After a foul by Sinclair on Lucas Rodriguez, the Comets midfielder elbowed the Ambush forward earning him a blue card and bringing the teams together in the corner. After the teams were separated and the referees had a chance to talk it over, the Ambush's Roach was also sent to the box for pushing. With the game 4v4 for two minutes, the Comets were the agressors pinning the Ambush in their own end of the field. After the Comets lost the ball in the Ambush end, Gibson won the ball back and played it to Ramone Palmer. Palmer's shot to the back post hit the wall and bounced to an unmarked Alex Megson who tapped the ball home to give the Comets their first lead of the game at 12-11.

One thing over the course of the evening that turned into a problem for the Ambush was their distribution out of the back. They gave the Comets a number of restarts at the top of the arc because of their playing the ball out of bounds. With just under two minutes to play the Comets took advantage of one of those opportunities. Rodriguez touched the ball to John Sosa whose shot went through the wall and into the net to give the Comets a 14-11 lead. The Comets almost added to their lead in the final seconds but Crook made a couple saves and Touloute had a header saved off the line.

Early in the third quarter, the Ambush cut the lead to one point off a restart. The ball was played into the corner for Sinclair who tapped the ball across the box for Mesle who put the ball home to make it 14-13. The Comets continued to control the play in the game, keeping the Ambush pinned deep. Just after the six minute mark the Comets got the lead back to three as Gibson won the ball from Crook in the Ambush end. After turning to face up field he fired a ball to the back post. Sosa was there to turn the ball home and make it 16-13. As the quarter wore on though the Ambush started to get more of the play and they were the ones pinning the Comets in deep. The Comets tried to use Gibson as an outlet, but Crook did good coming off his line. Until with just over a minute left Gibson was used as an outlet and got a touch past Crook. In the corner with no angle at goal, Gibson hit the ball off the wall into the middle where Ramone Palmer had arrived to tap the ball home and give the Comets a five point lead. The Ambush closed the quarter book ending it with a goal in the final minute. Again the Comets were trying to clear their lines. This time the ball ran into the referee who couldn't get out of the way. This left the ball in the Comets end  And Adamson fed the ball to Bleyenberg who hit a turning volley that beat Waltman to make it 18-15.

In the fourth quarter the Ambush continued to push while the Comets relied more on the counter. Again the Comets were using Gibson and it paid off about three and a half minutes in as Waltman played the ball down field to Gibson. The forward turned his man and fired a shot inside Crook's near post to make it 20-15. A couple minutes later the Comets found themselves back on the power play. Chad Vandergriffe had lost the ball to Ramone Palmer at the Comets yellow line. After the ball had been played wide to Stefan Stokic Vandergriffe came in with a sliding challenge that drew a blue card. It took less than 10 seconds for the Comets to take advantage as Rodriguez picked out Gibson just outside the yellow line. He shrugged off two defenders and fired from 3 point range beating Crook to make it 23-15. The Ambush didn't give up though and continued pushing Sinclair got his second goal of the night eight and a half minutes into the fourth quarter when his shot took a deflection and rolled past a wrong footed Waltman. Then Chris Mattingly got on the board to cut the lead to four. After a shot had skimmed around the top of the goal to the far side, Mattingly settled and fired inside Waltman's post to make it 23-19. A minute later though the Comets responded as Brian Harris raced the length of the floor down the sideline before cutting inside and firing a rocket from three point range that beat Crook to make it 26-19.

With the three score game and just two and a half minutes left, Waltman made way for Brendan Allen for his MISL debut. The Ambush controlled much of the play in the final couuple minutes but didn't go with the sixth attacker. With less than 30 seconds left the Ambush cut the lead back to five poinst as a Kory Dowell shot off the boards fell to Richard Schmermund who knocked the ball home to make close out the scoring.

The Comets now head out on the road for their final three games, a pair against Milwaukee with a game in St. Louis sandwiched in between before the playoffs. Current the Comets hold the three seed in the playoffs and would play the Baltimore Blast if the playoffs began today.

Comets Blow Lead, Fall on the Road

The Missouri Comets jumped out to a 6-0 half time lead tonight in Syracuse against the Silver Knights, but couldn't hang on in the third quarter as they ended up falling 11-8.

The Comets got out to a great start in the first quarter. Just 44 seconds in a poor clearance by Brian O'Quinn went right to Lucas Rodriguez who took a touch and fired past O'Quinn to give the Comets a 2-0 lead. The Comets continued to pressure but didn't grab another goal until late in the quarter. Brian Harris set up Ramone Palmer who beat O'Quinn to make it 4-0.

The second quarter saw the Comets continue to pressure play, but could only find the net once. Just over three minutes into the quarter, Stefan St Louis played a ball to the back post where Milan Ivanovic fired it back across the goal into the net to make it 6-0. The Comets continued to pressure throughout the rest of the half, but couldn't find another goal. They would end up regretting the missed opportunities.

The third quarter was all the Knights. Just 50 seconds in they'd pulled one goal back from three point range by Bo Jelovac. Then just over two minutes in the lead was just a single point for Missouri as Nate Bourdeau put one past Danny Waltman. Six minutes in, Neto gave the Knights their first lead of the game, 7-6. The lead though lasted a little over 30 seconds before Vahid Assadpour found net to put the Comets back on top 8-7. The Knights would find net two more times with Cory Elenio and Neto finding the net to give the Knights an 11-8 lead after three.

In the fourth quarter the Comets were back to controlling the game looking for a way back into the game. For long periods of time they controlled possession, but some good goalkeeping by O'Quinn kept the Comets off the board in the quarter as the Knights swept the season series with the Comets.

Comets Fall in Overtime.

The Missouri Comets blew leads of 8 and 6 points over the course of the game and ended up falling in over time to the Milwaukee Wave 23-21 in their season opener at the Independence Events Center.

The Comets got off to an early lead though. Just 17 seconds in off of a restart, John Sosa found Vahid Assadpour near the boards. Assadpour's shot sneaked between the post and Marcel Feenstra to give the Comes a quick 2-0 lead. A little over a minute and a half in the Comets doubled that lead. New signing, Alex Megson stole the ball at the top of the box and fired a shot into the opposite corner to make it 4-0. The Comets controlled much of the possession, but couldn't add to their lead. Then just over the half way mark the Wave cut the lead to 1. Pablo DaSilva won the ball near midfield. He played the ball towards Ian Bennett who won the ball and raced towards the Missouri goal. Right by the 3 point line, Bennett let fly with a shot. He fired into the upper corner, beating Danny Waltman to make it 4-3. Bennett's goal was called a 3 pointer, but replays showed that it very well may have been on the line and should have been ruled a two. The goal stood though. Late on in the first quarter the Comets were able to add to their lead. Off a poor Wave free kick, the ball came to Assadpour. The Comets captain raced the length of the field before squaring the ball off the wall into the middle for Leo Gibson who had the simplest of tap ins to make it 6-3. Then with under a minute left in the quarter the Comets scored again. As the Wave pressed, Gibson sprung the ball up the field for Milan Ivanovic. Ivanovic raced in on goal and five-holed Feenstra to make it 8-3 as the first quarter came to an end.

Early in the second quarter, the Wave cut the lead to three. Off a Wave restart, Marcio Leite laid the ball back to Luan Oliveira. Oliveira fired the ball through the wall and into the net to make it 8-5. The second quarter continued with the Wave pressuring looking for another goal, but Danny Waltman and Missouri's defense came up with some big saves and blocks. Late in the quarter though the Comets started to get more possession. Gibson hit the bar with a rocket of a shot. And off a restart, Geison's effort was saved off the line. With under 2 minutes left the Comets almost had another goal. Gibson got played in 1v1 with Feenstra after a long through from Waltman.Feenstra up ended Gibson and ended up given a blue card. Geison took the shootout attempt for Missouri, his initial attempt was saved by Feenstra and the rebound fell back to him but his chip went just wide.

The Comets came out in the third quarter and grabbed another goal just under three minutes in. Gibson stole the ball inside Missouri's half and raced in towards Milwaukee's end. He fired a shot from three point range that went into the far corner giving the Comets an 11-5 lead. The game started to get very physical and cards started to fly. Just before the halfway point, Carlos Munoz fouled Stefan Stokic in the corner, elbowing the Comets defender. Stokic though got up and ended up hitting Munoz in the face. Both players were given blue cards and the teams played 4v4. Shortly after that blue card was given the Comets were down to three on the field as Assadpour was given a blue card for boarding. With the 4v3 advantage the Wave took advantage as Leite fed the ball to Oliveira to cut the lead to 4. The two teams then played 4v4 until the Wave penalty ended. But right as it ended, the Comets added another goal. Lucas Rodriguez played the ball to Sosa in the corner. Sosa beat Feenstra with pace on his shot to make it 13-7. Less than a minute later the Comets made it 15-7. Brian won the ball outside the yellow line, dribbled into the Milwaukee end and fired a shot into the far corner. Late in the third though the Wave started their first come back. Just over 12 minutes into the quarter, Oliveira played the ball to the back post for Giuliano Oliviero whose diving header cut the lead to 15-9. Shortly after the goal the two teams were down to 4v4 again. And again it was Missouri's lack of composure that caused it. Wave midfielder, Judson McKinney was given a blue card for boarding, but in retaliation, Ramone Palmer was given a blue card for retaliation. With the extra space on the field, the Wave took advantage, scoring 2 goals in that span to make it 15-13. Both plays were extremely similar. The first play saw Leite start a 3v1 break. He fed the ball forward to Victor Quiroz, Quiroz laid the ball back to Leite who fired home. Shortly after it was Fabinho playing the ball back to Bennett for his second of the night and cutting the lead to two points.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Wave got themselves level. Comets defender, Andre Braithwaite got caught in possession in the Comets end by Marcelo Fontana. Fontana fed the ball into the middle for Nicolas Perera who tapped the ball into the net to make it 15-15. Just over two minutes into the quarter the Comets retook the lead. Off a restart at the top of the arc, Sosa fed the ball into the corner for Assadpour. The Comets captain turned the ball in and put the Comets back on top. Just seven seconds later the Comets had a four point lead. The Comets won the ball back off the kick off and Palmer fed the ball into the middle for Geison who scored to make it 19-15. Just four minutes into the quarter, the Wave have a 1v1 opportunity but Waltman comes up with a big save. Off the save the Comets countered. Gibson fed the ball to Sosa who rounded Feenstra and put the ball home to make it 21-15.

With just five minutes left and a six point deficient, the Wave went to their 6th attacker. Two minutes later the Wave cut the lead to four. Munoz got the ball in the corner and beat Waltman to the near post. Less than a minute later, the Wave had the game down to a single score. Leite crossed the ball into the middle and Bennett finished his hattrick poking the ball home. Just forty seconds later, the game was level. On the counter, Bennett fired the ball from the corner and beat Waltman to make it 21 all.

The two teams went into overtime. The overtime turned into a very tight game as neither team wanted to make a mistake. The best chance came to the Wave as they had a 2v1 opportunity. Waltman started to cheat far post and the shot was fired towards the near post, but hit the bar. Just over the half way point of the OT, the game ended. Off a restart to Waltman's left, Leite fired a shot off the boards that bounced right into the path of Bennett, who knocked the ball home to give the Wave their first lead of the game, but the only one that mattered as the Wave won 23-21.

Poor Second Quarter Dooms Comets

The Comets and Blast played a fast paced first quarter but it was the second quarter that did the Comets in tonight in the first game of the MISL championship series at the Independence Events Center.  The Blast out scored the Comets 8-0 in the second as they completely out played the Comets and hit on the counter, putting on a bit of a clinic on both ends of the field.  The Comets fought back in the second half but couldn't overcome the poor quarter.

The game started with a frantic pass and inside 30 seconds the Blast had the lead. Mike Lookingland played a pass towards the back post where Cristiano tried to break it up, but only put it into the path of Tony Donatelli.  Donatelli turned on goal and beat Danny Waltman to make it 2-0.  The Comets came back down the field and found an equalizer less than a minute later.  Byron Alvarez collected a turnover from goalkeeper William Vanzela and fed the ball to Vahid Assadpour in the corner.  Assadpour returned the pass and Alvarez slotted it far post to tie the game.  Shortly after that though the Blast retook the lead.  After Leo Gibson got caught in possession at the yellow line, Max Ferdinand led a 3v1 break on Waltman.  Ferdinand fed it to Aduato Neto who tucked it into the empty net to make it 4-2 Blast.  Th Blast continued to push the game and around the midway point of the quarter Neto had the ball deep in the Comets corner but he was able to get the ball out to Ptah Myers who put the ball high on Waltman to make it 6-2. The Comets attacked for much of the rest of the quarter but with all their possession they were unable to get many shots on goal.

In the second quarter the Blast again started things quickly again.  Just a minute into the quarter the Blast scored again.  After a turnover in the Comets end Neto fed the ball to Donatelli who beat Waltman to the far post making it 8-2.  The Comets continued to push the game with plenty of possession, but it left them exposed in the back and just over a minute after going down 8-2 they were down 10-2 as Myers led a fast break feeding it across to Lucas Roque who touched the ball past Waltman and into the net.  Before five minutes were even played in the quarter the Blast scored another one.  After Coady Andrews made a decent slide tackle in his own defensive third the ball went to Machel Millwood who roofed the shot against Waltman to make it 12-2.  Up to that point the Waltman had yet to record a save as the Blast had gone 6 for 6 shooting.  Finally with just over 7 minutes played Waltman finally made a save on a break by Myers.  But the rebound fell back to Myers who played the ball to a trailing Neto who beat Waltman to make it 14-2 Blast. The Comets had plenty of possession as the rest of the quarter wore on as the Blast were content to sit back and absorb pressure.  Vanzela made 5 saves in the quarter to keep the Comets off the board.  The Comets also shot themselves in the foot, passing up decent shots looking for better ones that never came.  Seven of nine shooting by the Blast made the Comets pay for mistakes.

Comets came out after the half time break again pushing the game and just under 3 minutes in had pulled a goal back.  John Sosa raced down the wing and fired a ball off the wall into the middle where Milan Ivanovic tapped the ball home to make it 14-4.  Forty seconds later though the Blast had pulled another one back as a rebound off a save from Waltman found Donatelli who played it into the middle for Myers who beat Waltman to make it 16-4.  The Comets continued to push with most of the possession being in the Blast defensive end.  With just over five minutes played the Comets pulled another back as Ryan Junge toe poked the ball from under Ferdinand's foot and into the net to make it 16-6.  The Comets continued to push it as Waltman pushed up the field.  And 7 minutes into the quarter Waltman fired a shot that was going wide, but Lucas Rodriguez deflected the shot into the net to make it 16-8.  The Blast tried to hit on the counter, but the Comets defense showed up in the second, as did Waltman who made a number of good saves to keep the Comets within 8 the rest of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter the Comets continued to be the aggressor, looking to continue the come back.  The Blast defense was strong, keeping the Comets off the board.  Just before the 8 minute mark in the quarter it was the Blast that added another goal off a restart.  Mike Lookingland fed the ball to Millwood out wide and he fired the ball past Waltman and into the net making it 18-8.  Shortly after that the Comets pulled Watlman going with the 6th attacker.  The Comets kept the ball plenty during that period and eventually got one back with just under 5 minutes left when Assadpour found Alvarez who fired home from just inside the 3 point line.  The Comets won the ball back shortly after the Blast kick off and went back to the 6th attack and again found the net.  A shot by Sosa was saved by Vanzela, the rebound fell to Gibson who volleyed the ball home to make it 18-12.  The Comets kept with the 6th attacker looking for another goal, but the Blast finally hit on the counter as Adriano Dos Santos broke out and fed the ball to Donatelli, who finished his hattrick from 3 point range into the empty net to make it 21-12 which is how the game ended.

The Comets now head to Baltimore needing to again to the double on the road to try to win the championship.  It'll be a tough ask for the Comets to do it on the road again.  They've beaten Baltimore there once this year, but that's been the Blast's only home loss this year and the Comets only win over the Blast this year as well.

Comets Fall in Overtime

The Comes had a good start to their first round playoff match up against the Milwaukee Wave, but couldn't make it stand up.  Missouri jumped out to a 10-0 lead over the Wave by the early point of the third quarter, but couldn't keep the lead and ended up falling 12-10 in overtime against the Wave putting themselves into a tough situation needing to win the game in Milwaukee Sunday and the mini game after. 

The game was delayed for about 20 minutes after a piece of plexiglass above the goal broke during warmups.

The Comets started much of the first quarter on the back foot as the Wave had much of the possession.  They really didn't get the shots to amount to much for the Wave though, it just let to a very quick quarter.  As the quarter went on, the Comets started to get more of the ball as the quarter went on.  Finally with under 5 minutes left the Comets grabbed the lead.  Danny Waltman played a ball down the line for Byron Alvarez.  Alvarez turned on his defender and fired a shot on goal. Wave goalkeeper Nick Vorberg made the save but pushed the shots right into the path of Coady Andrews who chested the ball down and fired it past Vorberg and into the net making it 2-0 Comets.  With less than a minute left, the Comets doubled their lead.  The Comets had plenty of possession and then Jeff Hughes played a nice through ball to Milan Ivanovic, who one timed the ball into the far corner to make it 4-0 Comets.

The second quarter saw the Wave come out attacking from the start and they won a free kick at the top of the arc.  Ibrahim Kante blocked the initial shot off the restart.  Robert Palmer then played the ball up the field to Hughes who was racing down the field.  Hughes was able to get Vorberg to commit and then laid the ball off the Mads Falck.  Falck tapped the ball home to make it 6-0 Comets. The Comets continued to push the game and then with just over 3 minutes gone the Comets went on the power play after a blue card on Tom Oatley.  The Comets took advantage of the man advantage passing the ball around the perimeter before it got to Alvarez in the corner.  He played a cross to the back post where Hughes headed it home to make it 8-0.  The Wave really pushed the game from there trying to get back into the game, but the Comets defense held them off as the Comets went into the half up 8-0.

Comets came out in the 3rd quarter looking to extend the lead.  Lucas Rodriguez hit the inside of the post from 3 point range but couldn't get the ball to go in.  Then with just under 5 minutes played the Comets made it 10-0.  The Comets worked the ball around their end before Cristiano raced towards goal.  He flicked the ball over to Robert Palmer who buried his volley past Vorberg to give the Comets some breathing room. Shortly after that though the Wave were on the board.  Off a restart in the corner, Luan Oliveira fed the ball quickly to Hewerton who put it top shelf on Waltman to make it 10-2. The Wave continued to push for another goal and late in the quarter the Wave got it.  Fabio Ribeiro played a pass off the wall that bounced right into the middle of the box where Guiliano Oliviero tapped it home past Waltman.  The Wave continued to push looking for more goals.  The Comets got some chances at the other end but couldn't capitalize.  With 3 seconds left the Wave had a fast break that Cristiano tried to slide to break up but caught the Wave player instead going to the box for the final 3 seconds.  In those 3 seconds the Wave almost scored again, putting a header off the foot of the post.

Into the fourth quarter the Wave capitalized on the power play finally.  A 3 pointer from Luan Oliveira was turned in by Hewerton appeared off his arm, but it counter and the gap was closed to 4.  Both teams kept pushing for the next goal but both side were done in by superb goalkeeping by each keeper as the quarter wore on. Just around the half way point of the quarter the Wave cut the lead to a single goal when G. Oliviero received the ball in the corner and played it off the wall to L. Oliveira who tapped home to make it 10-8. The Wave continued to push while the Comets countered.  With just over 3 minutes left the Wave went with the 6th attacker.  The Comets had some chances but couldn't capitalize on the possession with another goal.  Then with only 20 seconds left, G. Oliviero received the ball in the corner again and played a ball to the back post where Hewerton tapped it home to tie the game.

Into overtime the game went.  Both teams slowed the game down a bit with the game level.  As the quarter went on, both teams had their chances.  Alvarez had the majority of the Comets chances forcing Vorberg into a few saves.  With just over 6 minutes left in the game though the Wave won it.  Oatley played a ball in to G. Oliviero who turned Kante and hit a shot that curled into the far corner to give the Wave the golden goal win 12-10.

As mentioned earlier, the Comets will now need to win 2 games in Milwaukee on Sunday.  The first, a regular game, and then a mini game after that should they win on the road.  The good news for the Comets is that they're the only team to win in Milwaukee this season, the bad news the Wave only lost that one game at home this year.  It's going to be a big uphill climb for the Comets.

Comets Fall to Chicago

Playing their fifth and final road game in December, the Comets visited the Sears Centre and the Chicago Soul for the first time this season.  Although outplaying the home side for much of the game, they were unable to defend multiple goal efforts from Chicago’s Carlos Munoz and Bato Radoncic.  They end their December road trip with a 13-8 loss.

Halfway through the first quarter the Comets took a rare early lead when Lucas Rodriguez was able to pounce on a missed shot from Vahid Assadpour.  Without hesitation, Rodriguez let it fly and found the back of the net.  The next two goals would come from Chicago.  One from Carlos Munoz and the other from longtime Comets foe, Chile Farias.  Although down 4-3 at the first break, the Comets held possession in the late part of the quarter.

Signed in early December, Ramone Palmer has patiently waited for his opportunity to make his mark with the Comets.  His chance came today, breaking out by himself he beat Chicago goalkeeper, Jeff Richey for his first #MISL score.  Leading 5-4, the Comets controlled play for the rest of the quarter while Chicago sat back in a defensive shell.  At half the Comets led 5-4 on the strength of Palmer’s goal.

In another night of firsts, Milan Ivanovic recorded his first three point goal midway through the third quarter.  Unfortunately it was bookended by two goals from Chicago’s Bato Radonic.  Both of his goals were inside the arc so the score at the end of the third quarter was tied at 8 points each.

Although recorded with only 18 shots, the Comets peppered Jeff Richey in the fourth quarter as they looked for the go-ahead score.  Unfortunately that go-ahead score came from Freddy DeGand of Chicago.  With a restart from just inside the arc, he was able to find the goal and the Soul lead.  Carlos Munoz increased that lead to 13-8 four minutes later off a restart from near the yellow line.  His shot was just inside the defensive wall and Comets goalkeeper was screened as the shot went into the net.

The Comets return home to the Independence Events Center tomorrow night to face the Syracuse Silver Knights at 7:35pm.  This marks the third meeting between these two teams since Thanksgiving.  It will also be the Comets Media Game.  Fans will be treated to a halftime exhibition featuring their favorite media personalities.  Scheduled to appear are Kris Ketz (KMBC), Brett Anthony (KSHB), Nick Vasos (Fox 4), Scott Parks (KMBZ Radio) and many more.

Comets Drop Third Straight

After starting the season 4-0, the Comets are now finding themselves only 1 gave over .500 after dropping a 24-17 decision in Rochester tonight.  The game started bright enough for the Comets as some great movement early on saw the Comets grab a 2-0 lead as Stefan Stokic finished the play by laying the ball into the middle for Will John who one timed the ball in.  The Lancers fought back though.  Andy Tiedt tried to play a low cross into the middle of the box, but it got knocked into the air.  Tiedt followed the play and headed the ball over Boris Pardo, who got his second straight start and into the net making it 2-2.  Shortly after that the Lancers took the lead as Doug Miller picked up a loose ball from Bryan Harris and while he appeared to shove Harris down no call was made and Miller beat Pardo to start what was a big night for him.  Late on in the half the Comets though first leveled the score then took the lead.  On the power play first, Vahid Assadpour found Leo Gibson just inside the 3 point line.  Gibson took a touch, turning and fired home to tie the game.  With only 5 second left in the quarter the Comets grabbed the lead.  From about the same spot he set up Gibson, Assadpour this time decided to shoot and from outside the yellow line scored to make it 7-4.

Into the second quarter the Lancers came out firing.  Miller got in behind Harris on a through ball and beat Pardo to get the Lancers within 1.  Then shortly after that, Miller finished his hattrick on the power play.  After turning Gibson inside out, Miller fired a shot on goal that deflected off Ryan Junge and into the net to give the Lancers the lead again at 8-7.  The Comets looked to equalize but it wasn't until late in the quarter off a restart.  Two Comets ran over the ball before John struck it into the corner of the net to make it 9-8 with 3 and a half minutes left in the half.  That lead didn't last to the break though as Stokic got caught in possession at midfield leading to a 2v1 for Rochester that Miller finished for his 4th of the game to make it 10-9.

As the second half started the Comets got another quick power play opportunity.  It took most of the power play, but with 1 second left the Comets retook the lead.  Gibson made it 11-10 as he fired a ball on goal that went through the legs of Rochester's keeper.  The rest of the quarter belonged to the Lancers though.  Shortly after that power play, the Comets got a blue card themselves to Stefan St Louis and then while he was still in the box, Gibson picked up a blue card as well.  In a 5v3 situation the Lancers took time finding an open man, Miller again, and he curled a ball into the far post to make it 12-11.  The Lancers were still on the power play and made the Comets pay as Stephen Basso deflected a Bryan Knapp shot into the net to make it 14-11.  The Lancers kept attacking though as late in the quarter Mauricio Salles got in on the scoring as he received a ball laid back into the middle of the box to make it 16-11.  Then Miller completed the double hattrick on a break away beating Pardo over his left shoulder to make it 18-11. 

The Comets tried to get back into the game in the 4th and got an early goal as Byron Alvarez headed a ball off the glass, but Milan Ivanovic followed the shot and volleyed it home.  Shortly after that though the Lancers restored their 7 point lead through Pedro Franco.  Franco received the ball down the side and caught Pardo cheating for a cross, instead shooting near post and Pardo could only get a hand on it.  Around the midpoint of the quarter the Comets got as close as 3 points.  First on the power play a shot by John Sosa went off the glass but Gibson was there to volley in the rebound to make it 20-15.  Then a minute later Assadpour got a second goal as his cross for Gibson was deflected into the Lancers' net.  That was as close as the Comets got though at 20-17.  Tiedt picked up a second goal of the night as the Comets couldn't clear their end and Tiedt with the 3rd crack at it for the Lancers finally finished.  As the Comets pushed with the 6th attacker, the Lancers still played forward with high pressure on the 6th attacker.  On a counter, the Lancers made it 24-17, Jeremy Ortiz put a shot off the post but followed his rebound and beat Pardo.  The Comets will now head home for a game next week against Chicago.