Comets Fall in Baltimore

From the Comets

The Comets battled through a blizzard and long drives to take on the Baltimore Blast on Sunday night. Leo Gibson had two goals and Robert Palmer added another, but a third quarter that saw the Blast outscore the Comets 7-0, led Missouri to only their third defeat of the season. Lucio Gonzaga set the pace for Baltimore with two goals and four points on the way to a 14-6 victory.

After a thrilling win on New Year’s Day in Rochester, the Comets were snowed in by a massive blizzard that canceled flights and made for treacherous travel the next day. Forced to find alternate means of travel, the Comets boarded a charter bus early on Sunday morning and made the eight hour drive from Rochester, NY to Baltimore, MD.

The team did not seem to mind the travel early, as Robert Palmer and Leo Gibson each had a goal in the first three minutes, giving the Comets an early 4-0 lead. Late in the opening period, Baltimore’s Marco Mangione had a quick restart pass to Tony Donatelli, catching the Comets defense out of position. Donatelli’s shot from just inside the arc was able to bend right around the arms of Comets goalkeeper Danny Waltman and inside the far post. The Blast’s Audeto Neto had the only score of the second quarter to even the score at 4-4 as the teams went to the halftime break.

Fatigue possibly catching up with them, the Comets spent much of the third quarter chasing after Baltimore players as they held possession. When Missouri was able to get ahold of the ball, the Blast’s offensive pressure barely let the team move outside of their own yellow line. Alex Megson’s holding call midway through the period gave the Blast their only power play of the game and they took full advantage. Lucio Gonzaga scored the extra-man goal to give his side their first lead, then hit a full strength score three minutes later. Max Ferdinand was credited with a three point goal when he put a long ball into the area from beyond the arc that deflected off defender Coady Andrews, away from Waltman and into the net.

Gibson was finally able to end the Blast’s scoring streak with a restart goal for the Comets in the fourth quarter. Shortly after that, Vahid Assadpour replaced Waltman as Missouri looked to even the score with a sixth attacker. Unfortunately, Baltimore’s Donatelli was able to clear the ball from his defensive zone and into the empty Missouri net, sealing the 14-6 victory for the Blast.

The Comets return home for their fourth game in eight days on Sunday, January 5^th at 3:10p.m. CT. The Comets will be honoring First Responders at the match. All police, fire and EMT personnel will receive special tickets discounts. Call 855.4KC.GOAL for information or to purchase tickets.