COMETS STREAK TO 13-6 WIN OVER DALLAS
INDEPENDENCE, MO. – The Kansas City Comets (11-4-1) snapped their recent two-game skid in big fashion with a 12-5 win over the visiting Dallas Sidekicks (8-8-1) in front of over 2,400 fans at Cable Dahmer Arena Friday night. Lesia Thetsane and Lucas Sousa each posted hat-tricks in the win. Lou Misner started the game in goal for Kansas City but was relieved by Nicolau Neto late in the first quarter. With the win tonight, Neto became the all-time winningest keeper in Comets MASL history.
The Comets and Sidekicks combined for eight goals in the first quarter and Dallas struck first one Luiz Morales’ first of two goals in the quarter putting the visiting team up 1-0 with 11:14 to go in the opening frame. Less than two minutes later they doubled the lead on a marker by Felipe De Sousa to make it 2-0 with 9:39 on the clock.
Eight seconds later the Comets got on the board when Mirko Sandivari fired a shot off the glass above the board and Rian Marques was in the perfect spot to head in the rebound to cut the Sidekicks lead in half at 2-1. Kansas City drew even with 8:05 to play in the first. Rian Marques was low on the right side, and he split two defenders with a quick pass to a wide-open Lucas Sousa for the goal.
Morales’ second goal of the game gave the Sidekicks their second lead of the game at 3-2 before the Comets went on a four-goal run. James Togbah and Thetsane found the back of the net 22 seconds apart to put the Comets in front for the first time at 4-3 with 2:02 to play in the first quarter.
The newest member of the Comets, defender Richard Schmermund who joined the Comets today, scored back-to-back goals, the last of the first quarter and first of the second to give KC a 6-3 advantage with 13:23 to go in the half. The Comets added one more to that lead on Christian Anderaos’ fourth goal of the season, and with 6:36 on the clock in the half, Kansas City was up 7-3.
The final goal of the half was scored by Jamie Lovegrove, who extended his point streak to 14 games since joining the Sidekicks. His score made it a 7-4 Comets lead at the break.
The first goal of the second half was also Sousa’s second of the game with an assist to Leo Gibson to give the Comets an 8-4 lead with 13:40 to go in the third. It also kicked-off another four-goal run for Kansas City and after Marques and Gibson scored, Sousa completed his hat-trick to put the Comets up 11-4 with 4:57 left in the third
Sebastian Mendez knocked in an unassisted goal for Dallas to bring them within six, which is as close as they would come the rest of the game at 11-5 with 2:43 remaining in the quarter.
Thetsane did not give the Sidekicks much time to try and close the gap further as he scored the first of two consecutive goals just 20 seconds after Mendez’s goal. Heading into the final quarter, the Comets held a commanding 12-5 margin.
Given the pace of the first three quarters, the final frame was tame with each team picking up a goal. Thesane’s third of the game and a goal from Dallas’ Bradlee Baladez reached the final score of 13-6.
The home-and-home series will now shift to Texas on Sunday with a 3 pm start. MASLtv will televise the game live.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st – DAL Morales (Lovegrove) 11:14; DAL De Sousa (Piedra) 5:25; KC Marques (Sandivari) 5:30; KC Sousa (Marques) 6:38; DAL Morales 8:52; KC Togbah 12:23; KC Thetsane (Anderaos) 12:45; KC Schmermund (Sodal) 13:20. Penalties – None.
2nd – KC Schmermund (Gibson) 2:25; KC Anderaos (Thetsane) 6:36; DAL Lovegrove (Ortiz) 14:21. Penalties – DAL Brown (yellow- dissent) 6:09.
3rd – KC Sousa (Gibson) 1:26; KC Marques (Lee) 7:33 pp; KC Gibson (Sousa) 8:58; KC Sousa (Thetsane) 10:03; DAL Mendez 12:17; KC Thetsane (Marques) 12:37. Penalties – DAL Ortiz (blue- holding) 9:16.
4th – KC Thetsane (Anderaos) 11:42; DAL Baladez (Ortiz) 13:40. Penalties – KC Schmermund (blue- kicking) 0:56; KC Neto (blue- GK handball outside the box) 1:21; KC James (blue- four fouls in a half) 3:58.
Shots – Comets - 39; Dallas – 27.
Power Play – Comets – 1/2; Dallas – 0/3.
Attendance – 2,405