Comets Fall to Riot

From the Comets.

As has been the case all year long for the Comets, the team could not hold onto a 4th quarter lead, and lost on the road to the Riot Sunday night at the Odeum in Chicago, 16-12.

Chicago started the scoring at the 6:20 mark in the 1st period on a goal by Bato Radoncic. Two minutes later, the Comets got on the board with a power play goal by Leo Gibson, his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Byron Alvarez, who failed to score moments earlier on a shootout attempt. Comets’ newcomer, Carlos Olivas, who signed with the team late in the week, scored 19 seconds later to give the Comets a 4-2 lead at the end of the period.

The Comets kept the scoring going into the 2nd period, with Byron Alvarez getting his league-leading 21st goal of the season at the 2:46 mark to give the Comets a 6-2 lead. The Riot answered right back with a goal by Djerisilo, then a minute later, it was Fred Degand tying the game 6-6 at half.

The Riot took the lead 8-6 on a Radoncic power play goal to start the 2nd half. The Comets would tie things back up with an unassisted goal by Vahid Assadpour after a defensive lapse by Chicago. The Comets would retake the lead on a Byron Alvarez penalty kick goal after a tripping call in the box by the Riot. After dual two-minute penalties on Brian Harris of the Comets and Bato of the Riot, Geison Moura extended the Comets’ lead to 12-8 with a goal at the 8:26 mark, which is how the 3rd period would end. It would also mark the end of the Comets’ scoring as well.

The 4th quarter scoring belonged entirely to Chicago, starting with Radoncic’s hat trick goal at the 1:19 mark, then it was Will Kletzien with a goal on a restart at 6:15. The Comets would then got caught with four players up on the offensive side of the field, resulting in a 3-on-1 for the Riot, which Semir Mesanovic converted into an easy give-and-go goal with Djerisilo. Bato Radoncic would finish the Comets off with his 4th goal of the evening with 13 seconds left in the game after the Comets pulled goalkeeper, Danny Waltman, for a 6th attacker. Final score: Riot 16, Comets 12.

The loss drops the Comets’ record to 4-11. The Comets’ next game is in two weeks, on Sunday, February 20th against the Chicago Riot at the Independence Events Center.

Tickets: Comet single game tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. Groups and youth soccer teams can also “Play Like the Comets” on the field before every Comets home game. For Comets group tickets, call 816-478-BALL. For all the latest Comets news and information, visit www.cometsindoorsoccer.com.

Link to Box Score: http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=1443330