COMETS TAKE 1-0 LEAD IN CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

KANSAS CITY (Mar. 9, 2017) – The Kansas City Comets took a 1-0 lead over the Milwaukee Wave in the Central Division Championship Series on Thursday night. To do it, they had to come back from being down by three goals in the fourth quarter. Captain Vahid Assadpour scored the winning goal with four minutes to play and the Comets held on to take a 7-6 victory on the night.

All night the excitement of playoff atmosphere buzzed through the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The longest running playoff rivalry in the Major Arena Soccer League opened up with Kansas City taking a 2-0 lead early in the opening quarter.

Right at the end of the quarter Milwaukee’s Robert Renaud jumped on a slow pass from Kansas City’s Stephen Paterson and John Sosa. Renaud’s deflection trickled all the way down the field and into the net for the Wave’s first goal.

Capitalizing on Kansas City mistakes proved to be the successful formula for Milwaukee. Two bad passes and a bad foul in the second quarter turned into a 4-3 lead for the Wave at the halftime break.

The third quarter was much of the same as Ian Bennett was the benefactor of two defensive lapses as the Wave found themselves with a 6-3 lead headed into the game’s final period. Bennett netted a hat trick on the night, scoring a goal at the end of the second quarter and two more in the third.

As the fourth quarter began, Kansas City regrouped and found the formula that had been working for them most of the season, playing shut-down defense with a fast-break offense.

Assadpour said, “You could feel the momentum make the switch when Nacho (Flores) scored to make it 6-4. The tide turned and we knew we were going to win at that moment.”

Indeed, Flores started a fourth quarter flourish by making his defender slip and getting a great look at the goal as he shot for the far upper corner of the net. Rodriguez scored two more goals in the next five minutes of play and suddenly the game was tied.

Then, with four minutes left on the clock Leo Gibson and Assadpour, as they have so many times during their Kansas City careers, worked the ball down the field to perfection and Assadpour delivered the clinching score.

The series now moves to Milwaukee as these two teams will face off again on Sunday, March 12^th at 2:00 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to watch at the Official Watch Party at Coach’s Bar & Grill on 103^rd & Wornall.