COMETS CLOSE OUT FEBRUARY WITH BIG WIN

KANSAS CITY (Feb. 24, 2019) – Despite the 36 degree weather outside of the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, the heat was on in this South Central division match-up between the Kansas City Comets and the Orlando SeaWolves. Breaking a two-game losing streak, the Comets returned to form, beating the SeaWolves 9-4.

Both teams took off firing from the whistle, registering shots on both ends of the field. A foul on Zulkarnain in the fourth minute of the quarter led to a Comets’ free kick on the edge of the box. Alain Matingou found the back of the net after a rebound off Orlando keeper, Piotr Sliwa. Bryan Perez gets the credit for his ninth assist on the year.

The Comets defended a man down after Stefan Stokic received a blue card for tripping. Despite multiple blocks, the SeaWolves were able to find the power play goal. Elmo Neto, a former Kansas City Comet in 2011, evened the score 1-1.

A restart at the top of the box gave the perfect opportunity for Kansas City to take the lead just before the second quarter. John Sosa on the ball found James Togbah to his right. Togbah put the ball in the air for Kevin Ellis to score his first Comets goal.

With the momentum, Kansas City came out roaring to start the second quarter. Offensive pressure and shot attempts rewarded the Comets with another top-of-the-box restart. Sosa on the ball once again, put it straight past Sliwa to gain his seventh goal of the season. Comets took the lead, 3-1 early in the second.

High pressure from Kansas City left some gaps, allowing Orlando’s Gordy Gurson a one-on-one break against Comets goalkeeper Brett Petricek. Jonathan Mendoza streamed up the field to dribble the pass from Gurson into the goal.

Momentum now in the direction of the SeaWolves, they attempted to score another goal before half. However, the Comets’ lock-down defense prevented Orlando from putting the ball in the back of the net and kept Kansas City’s 3-2 lead.

The second half carried over the intensity from the first half, as the two teams battled back-and-fourth. Four minutes in, a restart allowed Sosa his second goal when he faked a shot, created a gap in Orlando’s wall, and buried the ball past Sliwa.

Minutes later deep in Orlando’s half, Sosa made an overlapping run around Adam James. The run gave Sosa enough space to find Matingou right in front of the goal to score his second of the day.
Less than a minute later, Osvaldo Rojas pushed Orlando a little closer to Kansas City with a goal and the assist from Luiz Mota.

Pressure from the Comets gave them one more goal before the final quarter. Anthony Grant rocked the ball into the net six seconds before the final third quarter buzzer.

Keeping on trend, the Comets scored another restart goal to start the fourth quarter. This time, Sosa found Ellis to push Kansas City up 7-3.

A blue card given to Rojas let Leo Gibson do what he does best – score another goal for the Comets. Less than three minutes later, Grant increased Kansas City’s lead when he shot around the SeaWolves’ sixth attacker.

Orlando continued to fight as Richard Schmermund found the back of the net with five minutes left. He also received a blue card a short minute later to give the Comets the power play for nearly the last two minutes of the game. Kansas City could not score off this and despite a last second push, the SeaWolves could not outlast Kansas City.

The Comets remain at home next week as they welcome the Harrisburg Heat to the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena for the first time this season on March 3. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. CT and tickets are available on KCComets.com or ticketmaster.com.

MASL Match Report
Match: Kansas City Comets vs Orlando SeaWolves
Date: February 24, 2019
Venue: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Independence, MO
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. CT / 5:05 p.m. ET

Scoring Summary

Goals

1

2

3

4

F

Kansas City Comets

2

1

3

3

9

Orlando SeaWolves

1

1

1

1

4