Comets Season Ends in OT Loss to Baltimore

The Missouri Comets needed a pair of wins in Baltimore tonight to send themselves to the MASL final. Unfortunately for the Comets their defense let them down for the second straight game leading to another loss and the end of their season in overtime 4-3 to the Baltimore Blast.

After a tight, scoreless first quarter, the Comets were able to take the lead with just over five minutes left in the first half as Leo Gibson finished off an effort from Robert Palmer. With less than a minute left the Comets were able to double their lead as Vahid Assadpour scored off an assist from Max Touloute to make it 2-0 as the Comets headed into half time.

The second half saw the Comets extend their lead to three goals as Max Touloute took advantage of a mistake by William Vanzela to extend the lead. The Comets defense continued to hold on and keep the shut out as Boris Pardo made a number of key saves. In the final three minutes though the Blast were finally able to get on the board as Adriano Dos Santos scored off an assist from Vanzela to cut the lead to two goals. The Blast continued the pressure into the fourth quarter but it looked like the Comets may hang on. But like the game on Thursday when the Comets allowed two goals in the final four minutes to let the Blast take it to overtime, the Comets again gave up a pair of goals. First Onua Obasi pounced on a poor pass between John Sosa and Pardo to score and make it a one goal game. Then with the extra attacker on and just over a minute left, Lucas Roque scored to tie the game at 3-3 and send the game to overtime.

The two teams went to overtime, and played a scoreless first overtime with neither side able to find a goal. Early in the second overtime though the Comets were forced to be on the penalty kill after a tripping foul for Robert Palmer. Unfortunately that was the opening that the Blast needed as Tony Donatelli found Roque with the man advantage and he beat Pardo to give the Blast the win and the series 2-0 over the Comets. For the second year in a row now the Comets will be watching the Blast in the finals. After going 3-0 against the Blast in three meetings in the regular season the Comets couldn't get it done in the playoffs and bow out. Missouri did play the second half and overtime without last year's league MVP, Gibson, who sat out with concussion symptoms and his absence is certainly one that would