Gibson Helps Comets Double Up Milwaukee

The Missouri Comets got a five goal game from reigning MASL MVP Leo Gibson on their way to a 10-5 win over the Milwaukee Wave in game one of the MASL Central Division finals. The Wave took the lead just over four minutes into the quarter through Sean Totsch. Near the midpoint of the first quarter the Comets got on the board with Gibson scoring his first goal of the game. Missouri scored three more times over the final six minutes of the first quarter Gibson added his second sandwiched between goals by Ramone Palmer and Max Touloute.

Gibson finished off his hattrick just under six minutes into the second quarter to extend the Comets lead to 5-1. Before the quarter was done though the Wave had reduced the lead to two as Ian Bennett scored twice to make it 5-3 in the Comets favor  at half time.

The third quarter saw three different runs by the two teams as the Comets ended up extending their lead. Touloute scored his second goal of the game less than two minutes in after he stole the ball from a Wave attacker at midfield and raced in on goal. John Sosa then extended the lead back to four goals less than seven minutes in. From there the Wave came back and scored two goals in less than 20 seconds with Bennett finishing his hattrick before Stefan St. Louis set up Hans Denissen to cut the lead back to two. That'd be as close as the Wave would get though as the Comets extended the lead back to four in the final four minutes as Gibson scored his fourth goal of the game before he set up Bryan Perez in the final minute and a half to make it 9-5 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter saw the Comets add a 10th goal and Gibson's fifth just over three minutes into the quarter to finish out the scoring. The Comets held off the Wave, even when they switched to the sixth attacker. Missouri will now head home for game two on Sunday in Independence with two chances to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.