The Missouri Comets are the MASL's best offensive team. They've been the highest scoring team this season in the league and have the league's point leader in Vahid Assadpour. Against the Chicago Mustangs though the Comets were unable to get their high powered offense going and were shutout for three quarters before falling 10-3.
The first half saw just three goals scored overall. Just before the halfway mark in the first quarter the Mustangs took the lead as Adolfo "Bofo" Bautista received the ball in the corner and crossed a ball into the middle where Alain Matingou knocked the ball into his own net giving the Mustangs the lead. In the second quarter the Mustangs struck again near the mid-point of the quarter as Wilo Martinez received a long ball from goalkeeper Jesus Flores and fired a ball past Boris Pardo to make it 2-0. Then late in the quarter Taylor Bond was able to beat Pardo with just over a minute left to extend Chicago's lead to 3-0 as both teams headed into halftime.
The third quarter saw the Comets really begin to push the game but Flores and the Mustang defense was able to shut down the Comets attack and really limit the number of chances that the Comets were able to create through the quarter. The fourth quarter though saw the Comets give themselves a way back in quickly as Max Touloute won the ball off a defender in the Mustangs' half, raced into the box and slotted a shot past Flores into the near post to make it 3-1. Unfortunately that bit of life didn't last long as the Mustangs first restored their three goal less than 30 seconds later, and extended their lead to 6-1 before five minutes of the fourth quarter had been played. The Comets once again tried to fight back as Assadpour twice found the back of the net to make it 6-3 with just over seven minutes left. But pushing forward looking for more goals left the Comets extremely exposed in the back and the Mustangs scored four more goals, three in the final minute to take the game 10-3 and leapfrog over the Comets and into first place in the MASL's Central Division.
The Comets will have a long time to stew on this game as they now do not play again until January 31st when they host the currently unbeaten Baltimore Blast. That same Blast team beat the Comets in the MASL semifinals last year. If the Comets played like they did tonight they'll be no match for the Blast. And the Comets get the Blast three times in their final six games. It certainly will not be an easy end to the season, but maybe it will have the Comets battle ready for the playoffs this year.
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