Down four regular contributors, including two starters, the
Comets were able to get the job done against their cross state rival, St. Louis
and move one step closer to a playoff berth. In a close defensive match up, the
Comets were able to shut down the league’s leading goal scorer, Gurdy Gurson as
Missouri pulled out a 7-5 win over the Ambush.
Comets in the first half came out hard and pushed the game
against the Ambush early on. Less than a minute in the Comets had themselves up
1-0 thanks to Vahid Assadpour. The ball was played ahead to Leo Gibson up the
field in the corner. Gibson turned and squared the ball into the middle for
Assadpour who beat Alan Hagerty to the ball and knocked it home to give
Missouri a very early 1-0 lead. The Ambush had more of the ball early on, but
the Comets did a good job of hitting the Ambush on the counter. Less than five
minutes in, the Comets doubled their lead. Robert Palmer played the ball to
Brian Harris as he ran into the corner. Harris fired a shot from a tight angle
that beat Hagerty off the far post to make it 2-0 Comets. Less than 30 seconds
later, the Comets made it three. After a good save by Stephen Paterson the
Comets were able to clear their end and get the ball up field to Josh Gardner.
The former Sporting player squared the ball into the middle for Andre
Braithwaite who knocked the ball home to make it 3-0. Just before the half way point
of the half, the Comets made it 4-0. After some good possession around the
back, Paterson sprung Palmer with a good through ball. On a break Palmer
squared the ball into the middle to Assadpour who then immediately played the
ball down to the post for Gibson who knocked the all home to make it 4-0. The
rest of the quarter saw the Comets dominate the run of play, limiting the Ambuh
to just four shot. Unfortunately the Comets were wasteful with their chances
and couldn’t extend their lead.
Not putting the Ambush to the sword in the first quarter
came back to bite the Comets in the second quarter. Just 54 seconds in the
Ambush were on the board. After a giveaway by Paterson, the ball found Jeff
DiMaria who squared the ball to Chris Mattingly who beat Paterson to make it
4-1. The Ambush dominated possession in the quarter, keeping the Comets pinned
in their end for much of it. The Comets found their breaks mainly on the
counter but really didn’t test Hagerty that much. With just over four minutes
left in the quarter, the Ambush made all the possession pay off as former
Sporting KC draft pick Adnan Gabeljic dribbled the ball the length of the floor
beating a couple Comets before firing a ball across the face of goal. Elvir
Kafedzic couldn’t turn it in, but knocked the ball back across goal where
Gabeljic was able to bundle the ball into the net to make it 4-2. The Comets
gave some late pressure looking to add to their lead again but couldn’t find
the net as the teams went into the half with the Comets up 4-2.
The third quarter saw a up and back quarter, but neither
team really was able to create much in the way of chances as both teams’
defenses locked things down. The Comets though were able to find the net once
in the quarter. Just over six minutes in, Alain Matingou won the ball in the
Comets end and caught the Ambush on a shift change. Matingou dribbled the
length of the floor before slotting a ball into the far corner to give Missouri
the 5-2 lead. Both teams had possession as the quarter progressed, but only
managed a combined nine shots between the two of them in the quarter.
The fourth quarter saw the Comets come out with high
pressure looking to finish the game with another goal or two, but the Comets
couldn’t find the net. Four and a half minutes in, the Ambush cut the lead back
to two as Ross MacGregor fired home a shot off a Kory Dowell restart at the top
of the arc to put the Ambush back within two.
The Comets kept the pressure on the Ambush though and with just under
seven minutes left restored their three goal lead. The Comets had pinned he
Ambush in their own end and had struggled to find shots though. The Ambush
cleared the ball to midfield and stepped up, but the ball was held in by
Palmer. The Jamaican immediately played it down the line to Assadpour who had
space to turn, take a touch and fired a ball into the near post upper 90 to
make it 6-3. The Comets tried to take the air out of the game, keeping
possession and not letting the Ambush get the ball. With just over three
minutes left though the Ambush won a free kick again at the top of the arc.
After a time out, Blake Ordell made a run from the side, curling his run and
firing a low shot into the corner past Paterson and into the net to make it
6-4. The Ambush put Hagerty back in goal as the Comets pushed the game again
trying to reestablish their three goal lead, but couldn’t get a good chance on
goal. When the Ambush won themselves possession they pulled Hagerty again for
Mattingly as the sixth attacker. The Comets were able to break the pressure and
pinned the Ambush in their own end with Mattingly still in goal. The Comets
passed the ball around looking to kill the clock off and end the game. After a
near giveaway, the Ambush started to push up field, but a deflection sent the
ball to Gibson who had Assadpour with him right in front of Mattingly. Gibson
unselfishly dished it off to Assadpour for his hattrick and make it 7-4 with
under a minute left. The Ambush did get one final consolation with under 30
seconds left as Dowell fired from range to make it 7-5 as the Comets moved to
13-0 and should be able to clinch a playoff berth if St. Louis can top Wichita
tomorrow night (I say should because I’m assuming head-to-head is the first tie
breaker and a St. Louis win tomorrow combined with the Comets win tonight would
mean St. Louis and Wichita can only tie the Comets record and the Comets hold a
2-0 series lead on both.)
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