Comets Cruise Past the Revolution Again

Tonight's game between the Missouri Comets and Tulsa Revolution was never likely to be much of a game. The Comets came into the game with an 18-0 record, looking to continue their unbeaten run, while the Revolution came in with just two wins on the season, long eliminated from the playoff race. And the Comets proved it early on, scoring three goals in the first five minutes and seven in the first quarter to really put the game out of reach early on. Just over a minute in, Leo Gibson got the scoring going. Tulsa tried to clear their lines, but only got it as far as Bryan Perez. Perez looked up and found Gibson all alone in the box. Playing him the ball, Gibson was able to get the Tulsa goalkeeper, Vladen Glavonic, to go to ground and Gibson fired the ball in to make it 1-0. Less than four minutes in, Alain Matingou played the ball wide to Vahid Assadpour. Assadpour beat his defender and from a tight angle fired a shot into the roof of the net to make it 2-0. Less than a minute later, Max Touloute made it 3-0. Technically the goal was an own goal as Touloute's shot was going wide, but was knocked into the net by the Tulsa defender. The Comets continued to control the game but weren't able to add to their lead until there were less than six minutes left in the quarter. Gibson set up Assadpour's second goal of the night as he fired a ball across the box that Assadpour re-directed into the net to make it 4-0. The Comets made it 5-0 after a poor giveaway by the Revolution. Kiel Williams picked off a back pass to the goalkeeper and immediately dished it to Alain Matingou who easily scored to make it 5-0. As the quarter wound down, Assadpour finished off his first quarter hattrick, one timing a shot into the net after it was flicked into his path by Gibson. Seconds later, Ramone Palmer finished off the scoring in the quarter as he jumped in front of a back pass to Glavonic and scored to make it 7-0.

Early in the second quarter, the Comets extended their lead. Just over a minute in, Robert Palmer had a chance saved, but the clearance only went as far as Perez, who picked out Gibson who scored his second of the game to make it 8-0. A minute later, Gibson finished off his hattrick and made it 9-0 as Gibson collected a long pass from Brian Harris that went off the wall. Gibson took a touch and fired the ball home to make it 9-0. Tulsa then replaced Glavonic, who'd given up nine goals on just 14 shots, with Richard Nolasco, who had started most of the season for the Revolution. The changed didn't make much of a difference though as less than a minute after Gibson's third of the game, John Sosa made it 10-0 as Josh Gardner played a ball to the back post where Sosa was able to tap it home to put the Comets into double digits. A short time later, it was actually the Revolution getting on the board, spoiling the shutout as Justin Hershey fired a shot from a tight angle that squeezed between Danny Waltman and the post to make it 10-1, ruining the shutout. Late in the quarter, the Comets found themselves on the penalty kill after a dangerous play from Sosa. A man down though the Comets were the ones that scored to re-establish their 10 point lead. Stefan Stokic raced after a loose ball, but had it tackled away by Nolasco. The loose ball fell to Robert Palmer outside the Tulsa yellow line. Palmer fired the shot on goal and scored shorthanded to make it 11-1 as the teams headed into half time.

The third quarter started the slowest of the fourth quarters tonight for the Comets, it took them almost seven minutes to score their first goal and extend their lead to 11. Just under seven minutes in, Harris received the ball near midfield. The defender dribbled forward into the Revolution's offensive third before firing a shot into the net to make it 12-1. A minute and a half later Gibson tallied his third assist of the night, firing a cross to the back post that Robert Palmer chested into the net to make it 13-1. The Comets continued the quick goals as Gibson added another assist playing a give and go with Matingou before the Frenchman fired the ball home to make it 14-1. And then a minute later, Perez scored his first goal of the night, clearing up a chance after Stokic had a shot blocked. With less than two and a half minutes left, Sosa scored his second of the night after playing a give and go with Gibson for Gibson's fifth assist of the night to make it 16-1. Just eight seconds later though the Revolution again scored with Hershey getting his second of the night off a wall pass. Before the quarter was up though the Comets got the goal back again as Harris tapped home from close range after Ramone Palmer played the ball from the corner.

The fourth quarter again saw the Comets get started quickly. Gardner scored his first goal of the night as Assadpour played a restart across the top of the box that Gardner fired home. Less than 30 seconds later, Sosa finished off his hattrick as Ramone Palmer beat Nolasco to the ball outside the box. Palmer than calmly played the ball across the goal mouth where Sosa ran in to tap the ball home to make it 19-2. The Revolution then struck back themselves as Dave Leung scored his first of two in the quarter to make it 19-3. Once again Missouri responded though. After Tulsa failed to fully clear a restart, Harris picked out Gibson near the corner of the box where Gibson fired the ball into the corner to make it 20-3. Tulsa struck back again as Leung scored on the power play after a foul by Harris to cut the lead again. Ramone Palmer finished off the scoring with just under three minutes left as he intercepted a back pass to the goalkeeper for the second time on the night and scored to make it 21-4 once the final horn blew.

The Comets set a team record for goals in a game, topping the 18 that they'd scored earlier this year at home against the Revolution. Gibson led the way for the Comets recording nine points on the night. The team sits at 19-0 with their final regular season game next Sunday against the Tacoma Stars.