After
waiting until the final six seconds to net a goal in their previous
matchup, the Comets jumped on the scoreboard first tonight. Ryan Junge
found Jeff Hughes along the left side, who buried his shot from close
range. Matthew Stewart was able to tie it up for Chicago with a nice
shot of his own from the side only a minute later.
Tied
2-2 at the start of the second quarter, Coach Kim Roentved employed a
high pressure strategy that saw two, and sometimes three, Comets players
with immediate pressure on any Soul player who gained possession in his
defensive third of the field. Ryan Junge earned his second helper of
the game, feeding Vahid Assadpour for the only score of the quarter.
Comets led at the break 4-2.
Relaxing
a bit from their high pressure stance, the Comets still had several
opportunities in the third quarter. The Comets controlled the ball
through much of the game, outshooting the soul 38-16 in the game. Matt
Stewart and Freddy Degand were able to break through the Missouri attack
late in quarter, scoring two goals in thirty seconds to put Chicago in
the lead briefly 6-4. However, Assadpour answered right back two
minutes later, intercepting a defensive clearance from Soul goalkeeper
Jeff Richey and passing to Robert Palmer. Palmer returned the pass and
Assadpour scored his second of the game, tying it up.
The
fourth quarter saw no scores as both teams applied tentative pressure,
not wanting to make a mistake as the clock wound down. With the score
tied 6-6, the fans who braved the weather in Chicago were treated to
overtime soccer. The Comets once again broke out their high-pressure
attack and controlled much of the action. After Chicago’s Carlos Munoz
was whistled for a foul to the right of his goal, Comets midfielder John
Sosa found Byron Alvarez on the restart for the goal and 8-6 victory.
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