Comets fight hard but lose in opening game of MISL Championship series against the Blast
The Comets came into this this championship series narrowly escaping yet another loss to the Wave (actually two including the mini game). This is the third championship series since the MISL reformed in 2010 with the Baltimore Blast being in the championship series each of the three years, but have been unable to win a championship. So they are really hoping third times a charm. Combine that with the Blast leading the season series 3-1 (overall since 2010 9-3) and the Comets are sure to have an up hill battle on their hands.
1st Qtr
You know how a lot of times teams start off slow to try and feel each other out to see how they might play? Well this wasn't one of those times. Both the Comets and the Blast got after each other very quickly. Most likely because they wanted to try and get the early lead which worked for the Blast as the 1st quarter ended 6-2 withe the Blast on top. All four goals did come in the first half of the 1st quarter, so hopefully that isn't telling as to whether this game would be slowing down or not as that could hurt the Comets especially if they carry it into the next game.
2nd Qtr
I don't want to say it was looking bad for the Comets but it wasn't looking good as the Blast continued dominating the play of the ball. I don't know if the Comets just weren't ready for this level of game but the Blast appeared as if they were playing on a whole different level all together and the finished out the 2nd quarter 2-14.
3rd Qtr
Well at least this quarter went a bit better for the Comets with them cutting the Blast lead down to just 8 as the Comets found some form scoring three goals and allowing only one goal. 3rd quarter ended 8-16 with the Blast still on top. Hopefully its not because the Blast are trying to go into cruise control because the Comets will fight till the end.
4th Qtr
And fight the Comets did all the way till the just about the buzzer as Assadpour spent about half of the 4th quarter in as a 6th attacker and I believe that everybody just spent about as much energy that they could spend trying to get some sort of result but literally just fell short getting as close as trailing 12-18 and fighting off several 3 point shots until they just couldn't get back in time against two attacking Blast players with less than 10 seconds on the clock which would then see the game end 12-21.
The Comets started off very weak but were able to slowly develop some form as the game went on and if they want to have a chance at this this championship trophy then they need to keep that form in the next game and the mini series and it will still be a fight.
Comets get off to fast start, fall hard, but still prevail to get to 2013 MISL Championship Series
I was going to write this post as individual game recaps from the Milwuakee Wave vs Missouri Comets semi-final series but with the quick turnaround between games I've decided to do a series wrap up.
The Comets and the Wave meet again for the third time in as many years with the Comets looking to finally make it to championship series most likely against the Baltimore Blast yet the Wave was looking to win their third championship trophy in a row. This series would have been better as the championship series but that just isn't the way things worked out as these two teams fought hard and one team was able to come out alive but quite possibly not completely unscathed.
Game 1
Comets got off to a very hot start at 8-0 just before half time, but the Wave being the Wave were able to withstand the onslaught and gradually fought back taking the game into overtime where they were able to just barely sneek the golden goal ball past Comets GK Danny Waltman late in the OT period. I wouldn't have really expected anything less from these two teams as they are both high caliber teams even though the Comets had their struggle throughout the season and the Wave started off the semi-final series very rough missing shot after shot and not even being on target.
Game 2
I missed the beginning of this game and most of the 2nd quarter but didn't seem to miss too much as it appeared there was quite the defensive battle going on. The second half was very entertaining with the Comets slowly catching up then falling behind then finding the way to tie the game then with just a few seconds left on the clock the Comets were able to get the go ahead goal to then tie up the series at one game a piece in the unique fashion that each team had won their initial game at the other teams arena. This then meant that there would be a tie breaker game.
Tie Breaker
This tie breaker is a short 15 minute game to see who leads at the end of it and would be moving onto the championship series against the already determined Baltimore Blast. Well the Comets again got off to a hot start with a three point goal but the Wave battled back, much like the Wave do, and were topping the Comets. The Comets having been in this position far to often against the Wave put it all out there and were able to get another late goal that would seal the victory for the Comets and their first MISL Championship Series since the MISL was reformed three years ago.
The first game will be against the Baltimore Blast on Thursday March 14th at the Independence Event Center and this should be an interesting series to say the least.
Comets secure playoff postition with a 15-11 win over the Wings
Comets came into this game after a brutal match against the Chicago Soul which saw the Comets get just one goal and that wasn't till the final seconds of the game. The best thing for the Comets would have been to just forget about it and focus on winning this game and getting a playoff spot.
1st QTR
This quarter started off much like the last game which saw the Comets playing well but not even getting shoes off, but allowing the Wings to score three goals and take an 0-6 lead. The Comets needed to quickly change things or this game could have easily ended the same way as the previous match.
2nd QTR
Not sure what the Comets Head Coach said during the break but the Comets found the spark they needed and took the lead in under two minutes of the 2nd quarter which included two 3-point goals from Brian Harris. That was pretty much it though besides both teams trading a lot of fouls. The Comets seemed happy to take an 8-6 lead into the half.
3rd QTR
Again before I forget Comets GK Danny Waltman had some huge saves that the Wings really should have scored on and was sure to be frustrating the Wings and the harder they tried the worse it seem to get but the Comets weren't pushing back enough and the Wings were finally able to net a tieing goal.
4th QTR
Started off a bit nerve racking as the Wings retook the lead only 30 seconds into the 4th quarter. The Comets then seemed to gain a calmness about them and just took care of business netting three more goals to include a late 3-pointer to finalize the victory over the Wings 15-11.
With this win the Comets were able to secure their spot in the playoffs although it is not finalized as to wheter they will be playing against the Blast or the Wave, which should be determined after their final match up against the Chicago Soul which they recently played against before this Wings match up and hopefully they are looking for a bit of payback, but they may try to go light and just get prepared for the playoffs.
Comets fall to Soul 2-13 and still a win a way from playoff spot
Comets came into this game needing just one more win to ensure their place in the playoffs. They were able to pick up a much needed win on Sunday and against the league leaders in the Milwaukee Wave and in what was a very interesting game. Chicago hasn't had the greatest season but came into this game two games behind the Comets and also in fourth place additionally trying to lock up a playoff spot but needing a bit more accomplished than the Comets.
1st QTR
Well GK Danny Waltman sure got a workout as the Soul were able to take 0-4 lead. They weren't playing bad but both goals came at bad times, one of them being from a restart. The Comets were able to get several shots on Chicago but their defense was playing very solid and the Comets were having a difficult time breaking them down and netting a goal themselves.
2nd QTR
This quarter unlike the first was pretty brutal as the Soul seemed to figure out how to play against the Comets and the Comets after playing decent in the 1st quarter seemed to actually play worse during the 2nd quarter and were fortunate to have only allowed two more goals and be trailing 0-8 at the half.
3rd QTR
This game is about as odd as you can get. Rarely does a team go three quarters without scoring yet the Comets trailed the Soul 0-11 at the end of the 3rd. Leo Gibson was sent off and he is one of the leading scorers for the Comets so an come back would have been even more difficult. This match up has just not been a good one for the Comets as most of the shots were will off target.
4th QTR
I think its safe to say that the Comets were just completely outplayed in this match up and the only highlight was GK Waltman's shot on goal that just missed. Thats even with Brian Harris getting the long goal, with just 6 seconds left, for the Comets and at least keeping the Soul from getting a shut out.
Obviously the Comets came into this game needing just one more win to ensure a place in the playoffs and come out of this game still needing just one more win, but now have only two more games to get that win to include a rematch against the Chicago Soul in Chicago to close out the season before the playoffs start. Ideally it would be nice to see the Comets win both games and at least finish out the season at .500 winning percentage.
Comets take down the Wave 17-9 in final regular season match up
The Comets came into this game after a pretty bad game against Blast that was close for most of the game but got out of hand late. The Comets were sure to get back on the right track and needed to in order to ensure that they were able to make it into the playoffs. They came into this game needing to win two more games to ensure that they get to the playoffs and this game was sure to be a tough one but the Comets were able to pull it all together and beat the top team in the league this year in the Wave and split the season series with Milwaukee 2-2.
1st QTR
Comets came on very strong but Milwaukee were able to hold off any close attempts. I say close attempts but it could have also been viewed as the Comets were not finishing their chances. Playing against a team like the Wave, who are hands down one of the best teams in indoor soccer, you have to come ready to play and finish any chances you you get otherwise you'll have hell to pay and the Comets had just that as were down 0-4 at the end of the 1st quarter.
2nd QTR
I thought this was going to be a lot of the same as the 1st quarter but Mr. Comet himself, lately, Leo Gibson came alive and just about got a hat trick in the 2nd quarter, but was able to net two goals which allowed the Comets to level the score 4-4 at the end of the 2nd quarter. Really the Comets should have pulled ahead possibly 8-4, as Milwaukee didn't provide much offense but a little, but were not finishing their chances still.
3rd QTR
Before I forget to write this down I want to make sure I say that GK Danny Waltman saved the Comets asses with a huge save about halfway through the 3rd quarter that was quite possibly a game changer as the Wave should have scored when Assadpour and another Comets players failed to track back in time to cover defense. The Comets over all played really good this quarter despite the long goal netted by the wave, again players didn't track back to play defense. The Comets however were able to net two more goals for themselves and take an 8-6 lead.
4th QTR
Comets were looking to end this game smartly and kept pushing more so after the wave nearly tied it up. And even eventually brought out their sixth attacker, which for the most part was ineffective. The Comets took a 14-9 lead for most the 4th quarter and netted a Wave sixth attacker open goal with six seconds left in game to seal the victory and tie the season series at two a piece.
These two are sure to meet each other in the playoffs and/or and most likely the best scenario the finals to finish out the MISL season. The Comets still need to win one more game though to ensure that they make it into the playoffs and there are three games left with two of them being against the Chicago Soul.
Comets split weekend match ups against Lancers and Wave in close games
Comets went into the weekend with their first game at home against the Rochester Lancers who they had previously destroyed but were then handed the same beating in the most recent match up. Everybody expected this match up to be a high scoring game, with the exception of this guy as I was surprised that the score was as high as it was but was kept relatively low. 12-11 being the final score as the Comets were able to just edge out the Lancers in the final seconds of the game. This game was pretty much exactly what I expected especially since they were playing each other for the third time in three weeks. With this win the Comets were able to top the Lancers in the season series 2-1.
The Comets then traveled to Milwaukee for second time this year to play the Wave for the third time this year and although the score ended 29-15 the match was a lot closer then the score indicated as the Wave were able to net a few late three point goals during the time that the Comets were pressuring to try and level up the score and had no goalkeeper in the net to keep the easy three point shots from going in. This was a very enjoyable game to watch and the Comets have to play the Wave one more time back in Missouri and we will most likely see these two playing each other in the playoffs as both teams will most likely be getting into the playoffs as long as the Comets can finish out the season strong at least.
Comets get demolished by Lancers much like they did in previous match against Lancer
The Comets came into this game having travel difficulties getting from their previous match up that they were able to win but were not so lucky in this match up. They did have several things going against them in that they had those travel difficulties, Rochester was looking for pay back after the drubbing they received from the Comets just a week before, and Alvarez the Comets leading scorer was out with a back strain. The Comets didn't do themselves any favors though receiving a couple penalties in the first half that the Lancers were able to for the most part easily convert. You do have to say though that the Comets never give us and after being down 15-0 at half time were able to battle back and only allowed one more goal but were unable to mount a full comeback. Luckily for the Comets they get to play the Lancers for a third time in as many weeks for the next match up.
Comets get big victory over Wings to lead season series 3-1
Comets came into this game hoping to still ride the high from the much needed and big win over Syracuse. The Comets have done fairly well at home this season but have still had their struggles. The Wings have really picked up the pace lately to even include beating the Comets in their last match up in Whicita. So this game was sure to be an interesting one. The way these two teams play each other it is never surprising to see somebody ejected before the end.
1st Quarter
I mentioned something about being interesting before and the first quarter didn't dissappoint. The Comets took an early lead and it was clear that this game was going to be physical. The Comets saw three blue cards and a yellow card in the first quarter which is something you normally don't see in an entire game. Regardless the Wings were able to take a 7-3 lead over the Comets with one of their goals being a 3 point goal that took a deflection off Leo Gibson who seemed to be trying to get out of the way for GK Waltman to make the save but just didn't work out.
2nd Quarter
Just as entertaining as the first quarter was the second quarter was as well but quite a bit milder as the Comets were able to keep all their players on the field for the entire quarter. That helped the Comets to pull ahead of the Wings 14-9 at the end of the second quarter. Sosa scored two fo the five goals in this quarter which gave the Comets a huge lift.
3rd Quarter
I mentioned that this game would most likely get an ejection and with the way the Comets kept getting fouls against the Wings I would of figured it would have been a Comets player. Well actually it was a former Comets player and current Wings player Geison that ended up being ejected. This was a good thing as the Comets continued to play much like they did to end the first half netting three more goals all being two pointer, but more importantly the Comets kept the Wings scoreless to take a 20-9 lead to end the third quarter.
4th Quarter
Luckily this game ended with only one player being sent off, which is really quite surprising but also a good thing as I'm also surprised there was no major injuries. The Comets were able to finish off the Wings scoring another two goals and only allowing the Wings to score one goal in this quarter. The Comets are probably pretty happy to string together two wins back to back as they closed out this game 24-11 and get set to play again shortly against the Wave.
Winning can be contagious and hopefully the Comets have been able to catch it and can get themselves back on track to make a run into the playoffs and potentionally at the championship, but there are still a lot of games left and time will tell.
Comets get back on the winning side of ball against Syracuse in 4th meeting
The Comets come into this game having recently struggled in recent match ups an losing their last four games. Despite the Comets problems, especially halfway through the season and mostly on the road, there are a couple of good stats for the team. Defender Leo Gibson was 2nd in the league in blocks only being a few behind 1st place and well in front of 3rd place. Midfielder Vahid Assadpour came into this game tied for first in the league with the most three point shots which is impressive seeing that there seems to be far less three point goals being scored so far this season.
1st Quarter
Comets were off to a fast start dominating and controlling the ball on both sides of the field with Syracuse seemingly having no answer to stop the Comets or even net a goal themselves as the quarter ended 6-0 with the Comets on top. I'm starting to wonder if the Comets finally got sick and tired of struggling like they have, which who wouldn't be, but those were some tough loses against the Wings and Soul.
2nd Quarter
Wherever the Comets started Syracuse picked up as they were able to finally pick up two goals with one of them being a three point goal. Not sure where the Comets stellar start went but it needed to be found again and in a hurry because Syracuse is a team that will drown anybody given the chance.
3rd Quarter
Third quarter was even different than the first half as both team were not exactly looking like fire starters. Both teams traded goals and then Syracuse was able to net a late goal to take back the lead. Not exactly the way either team probably wanted to start the second half.
4th Quarter
The Comets came out fast and hard retaking the lead in under two minutes and continued to dominate and control the rest of the game. The Comets did so well in the fourth quarter that they were able to even score a goal while being down a player while Cristiano was sitting in the penalty box for two minutes for tripping. It is a good accomplishment if you are able to keep the other team from scoring while being shorthanded let alone scoring a goal.
We can only hope that with the way the Comets were able to close out this game that they are able to turn things around and hopefully keep the momentum going and put together a series of wins and their next match up will be against the Wings for a fourth time this season. The Wings are just under the Comets in standings but the Comets really should be the better team and should be able to win their next game but they should never take the Wings lightly nor do I doubt that they will.
Comets look off in attempted comeback as Chicago Soul win (Summary)
I am going to try and keep this short as this game was just one of those odd match ups that could really go either way. Both teams having their own struggles this year. The Comets only winning, I believe, one game on the road with a lot of early road games in the season and the Chicago Soul just struggling in general as a first year franchise were set to play each other for the first time in Chicago. Really this game having ended 13-8 in the Chicago Soul's favor could of just as easily been 13-8 in the Comets favor who having been one of the top teams in the MISL the past few years would except that and hopefully get them back to a winning track.
Really the Comets have just seemed to be really off this season in the losses that they have suffered, which usually if the game is close in score the play really isn't that close as the Comets have been getting dominated by the other teams that they have lost too. Now on the flip side of things when the Comets when they have completely controlled the game and in some instances have just put a drubbing on the other team, but the further we get into this season the less we see or even realize that was just a month ago.
I'm really hoping that the Comets can work their issues out and get back on form so that they can have another chance at making a run towards the MISL Championship game which they have easily made it to the playoffs the last two years but have fallen just short of being able to make it to the final game. At the rate they are going this season they could very well struggle to even make it to the playoffs. I think if any team can turn it around though it is the Comets and once they stop traveling so much we will see them get back to being the solid team that they have been the last couple years.