Chicago Riot Falls to Missouri, 11-9, in Overtime
January 7, 2011 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Chicago Riot News Release
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (Jan. 7, 2011) -- The Chicago Riot fell to the Missouri Comets, 11-9, in overtime Friday in Major Indoor Soccer League play at the Independence Events Center.
Jamar Beasley's goal at the 4:08 mark of the sudden-death overtime boosted the Comets (3-6) toward their first home victory of the season. The Riot fell to 1-5 overall.
"We're keeping every game close, but you can only lose so much without getting frustrated about it," Riot Head Coach Jeff Kraft said. "It's one of those things where the Comets scored when they needed to in overtime. It was a hard-fought game."
Next up for the Riot is a 7 p.m. match on Sunday, Jan. 9, against the Omaha Vipers at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center in Villa Park, Ill. A live webcast of the match will be available through ChicagoRiotSoccer.com and MISL.net, and Spanish-language radio is available at LaMaquinaDeportiva.com.
On Friday, four different Riot players netted goals -- Eric Duda, Alex Megson, Novica "Novi" Marojevic and Andre Berenzon. Novi's three-pointer was part of a 7-0 run that gave Chicago a 7-4 lead in the third quarter.
In the net, Riot goalkeeper Jeff Richey made eight saves and Comets goalkeeper Danny Waltman had 11 saves.
Missouri tallied the game's first goal as Byron Alvarez got behind the Riot defense for a 2-0 lead just 39 seconds into the game. The goal represented only the second time this season the Riot has not scored the game's first goal.
The Comets boosted their lead to 4-0 with Beasley's goal at the 2:29 mark. Missouri's attack started when the Comets' Brian Harris beat Semir Mesanovic to the ball during Richey's outlet pass.
Riot rookie Duda scored his first MISL goal at the 12:42 mark of the first quarter to cut the Comets' lead to 4-2. The Carol Stream, Ill., native Duda was in the middle of the box to direct the ball into the net after Mesanovic and then Edward Santeliz pressured from the left side. Santeliz was credited with the assist.
The Riot tied the score at 4-4 at the 40-second mark early in the second quarter. Megson capitalized with a hard-nosed goal in the box as Santeliz set him up from the right side with his second assist of the game. Megson has scored a goal in three straight games.
Novi posted a three-point goal to give Chicago a 7-4 lead at the 11:23 mark of the third quarter. Fred Degand assisted from the left side as he dished to Novi who was well beyond the arc. He ripped a shot toward the upper right corner of the frame past Waltman.
The Comets tied the score at 7-7 with Harris' three-point goal at the 9:14 mark of the third quarter. Harris struck the ball inside the near left post past Richey, who had to scramble back to his line after he was out of the box earlier in the Comets' sequence when they were attacking from the right side.
The Riot's Andre gave Chicago a 9-7 advantage at the 2:54 mark of the fourth quarter. Andre took advantage of a mishap by Missouri's Leo Gibson, avoided a Comets defender and tallied an unassisted goal.
Beasley tied the score again at 9-9 at the 7:04 mark of the fourth, shortly after Stefan Stokic's penalty expired. Vahid Assadpour assisted Beasley's goal.
The Comets scored their game-winner at the 4:08 mark of the overtime as Missouri took advantage of an errant pass from Degand. Missouri countered and Beasley took the winning shot from the left side.
Defensively, the Riot had a challenging effort as Chicago turned away all five of the Comets' power play opportunities. Riot defender Eric Duda also came up with a huge stop at the goal line with less than 4 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Harris took a shot that went past Richey, but Duda was able to clear the ball before it crossed the goal line as that would have given Missouri a 9-7 lead.
The Riot travels back home to host Omaha on Sunday as the team also hosts "Elvis Night," a tribute to rock n' roll legends Elvis Presley, who would have turned 76 on Jan. 8, 2011, and Elvis Costello, who helped create the punk rock movement. Fans who dress up as either Elvis receive free Lager Riot standing room tickets, with upgrades to seating areas available at the ticket window. Festivities extend to halftime as a team of Elvis Presleys battle a team of Elvis Costellos in indoor soccer to determine the superior Elvis. Tickets are available start at $10 at www.ChicagoRiotSoccer.com or by calling 630-708-6284.
Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from January 7, 2011
- Comets Win Overtime Thriller Against Chicago - Kansas City Comets
- Chicago Riot Falls to Missouri, 11-9, in Overtime - Chicago Riot
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