Comets Remain Undefeated and Clinch a Playoff Berth
January 23, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Kansas City Comets News Release
SALTILLO, Mexico "" Saltillo Rancho Seco (1-11) played one of their best games this season. However, their efforts were not enough to upset the undefeated Missouri Comets (14-0) who left the Deportivo RSS with a 14-8 victory.
Team and league leader Leo Gibson was named Borden Man of the Match notching five goals, four of them scored in the first quarter.
With this victory, head coach Vlatko Andonovski's team have clinched a playoff berth in the inaugural season of the Major Arena Soccer League and could wrap the Central Division championship with one more win or a Chicago Mustangs loss.
Only seven minutes into the match, the Comets were already up 6-0. Gibson scored the first tally of the evening at the 1:09 mark assisted by John Sosa before Robert Palmer assisted by Bryan Perez gave the away team a 2-0 lead.
In a two-minute span, Gibson added three more goals to his name before Max Touloute found the back of the net defeating goalkeeper Alejandro Garza.
Moments later, Saltillo scored their first goal of the night courtesy of Iran Rodriguez but six seconds before the end of the first stanza, team captain Vahid Assadpour gave the Comets a 7-1 lead.
Saltillo came out stronger to the field on the second quarter and scored three consecutive goals to shorten the lead to a three-goal match when Jesus Nava, Victor Baez and Aaron Chavez each found the back of Danny Waltman's goal but Alain Matingou and Andre Braithwaite scored to take a 9-4 lead to the locker rooms.
Once again, Rancho Seco notched three straight tallies early in the third quarter scored by Rafael Raygoza Medrano, Miguel Cedillo and Jonathan Gutierrez making it 9-7 before the Comets answered back with goals from Perez, Assadpour and Sosa.
With a 12-7 lead, the Comets once again allowed a goal to start the fourth quarter when Manuel Valentin dribbled through the defense and scored unassisted before Josh Gardner scored on a powerplay followed by Gibson's fifth goal to end the match with a final score of 14-8.
Next up, the Comets will visit the state-of-the-art Arena Monterrey to face the Southern Division powerhouse Monterrey Flash at 5:05 p.m. CT before returning to the Independence Events Center on January 30 when they host Chicago.
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