Comets Claim Sweep of Wings
November 5, 2012 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) News Release
WICHITA, Kan. - The Missouri Comets completed a weekend sweep of the Wichita Wings on Sunday afternoon as Byron Alvarez and Vahid Assadpour each scored twice to lead their side to a 19-10 victory at Hartman Arena. After falling behind early, Alvarez's second-quarter penalty kick put the Comets ahead, and they never trailed again despite Andrew Hoxie's hat trick for the Wings.
Hoxie opened the scoring within the opening minute, and notched his second from close-range to give his side a 4-0 lead midway shortly after. The Comets were able to get back on level terms, Mads Falck scoring his first goal in the MISL before Assadpour finished off a 2-on-1 with Coady Andrews, but Wichita regained the lead on Bryan Perez's bicycle kick with 1:13 to play in the first. Will John quickly got the Comets back on level terms, though, scoring with 20 seconds to go to leave the teams tied 6-6.
Alvarez's goal was the only tally in the second quarter, coming off a penalty kick, and he then gave the Comets a four-point lead, scoring inside the opening minute of the third quarter. Geison cut the lead to two for the Wings, but then power play goals by Lucas Rodriguez and Leo Gibson gave the Comets a 14-8 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Hoxie completed his hat trick early in the fourth quarter, but the Wings were unable to get any closer as Assadpour scored from 3-point range as the Wings had pulled their goalkeeper late. Brian Harris capped the scoring, again into an empty-net, as the Comets moved to 2-0.
FRIDAY
CHICAGO 13, SYRACUSE 8 - The Chicago Soul FC took victory in their inaugural game in the Major Indoor Soccer League as Carlos Muñoz scored a pair of fourth-quarter goals to lead his side to victory against the Syracuse Silver Knights in front of a crowd of 3,412 at the OnCenter on Friday night.
The Soul also recorded the first goal of the 2012-13 MISL season, with Christian Meza driving home a shot from just inside the 3-point arc to put his side ahead. Nelson Santana quickly equalized for the Silver Knights, leaving the teams tied 2-2 after the first quarter, but Chicago regained the lead early in the second period as captain Matt Stewart and Bato Radoncic each found the back of the net.
Syracuse was able to rally again, however, with Andre Berenzon cutting the Soul's lead to two points with a power play goal off an assist by Santana. The Silver Knights then tied the game with two seconds to go in the half, Daniel Stevens striking home from the top of the penalty area.
After a scoreless third quarter, however, the Soul were able to pull away as Muñoz restored their two-point advantage just over a minute into the fourth. Muñoz then struck again with 6:58 to play, and Alex Megson capped the victory late with a 3-pointer into an empty net after the Silver Knights had pulled their goalkeeper. Berenzon scored a late consolation goal for the Silver Knights, but after winning their opening game as an expansion franchise in 2011-12, they fell to the league newcomer in their home opener this season.
MISSOURI 18, WICHITA 15: The Missouri Comets recorded a dramatic comeback to earn victory against their rivals the Wichita Wings in front of a crowd of 5,126 at the Independence Events Center, rallying from a 13-point first-half deficit to win their opening game of the season.
Wichita's new signings shone early, with former Rochester Lancer Andrew Hoxie opening the scoring from 3-point range early in the first quarter. 2012 MISL MVP Geison added to the Wings' lead, scoring against his former side, to give his new side a 5-0 lead at the end of the first quarter before Brady Bryant struck on a breakaway to make the score 7-0.
Hoxie completed his hat trick around a goal by Tiguinho to put the Wings up 13-0 with just under five minutes to go in the first half, but it was then that the Comets began their turnaround. Byron Alvarez began it, tapping home from Vahid Assadpour's pass, and Leo Gibson then added a short-handed goal with 51 seconds to play in the half to cut the deficit to nine.
The Comets continued to rally after the halftime break, John Sosa scoring the first of his two goals to make it a seven-point game before Lucas Rodriguez, Will John and Ryan Junge each found the back of the net. Trailing by just a point going to the fourth quarter, Sosa put his side ahead 5:11 into the fourth quarter, with Alvarez adding an insurance goal with just over five minutes to go. Wichita tried to rally, with Geison scoring on a penalty kick with 2:03 to play, but the Comets sealed their victory in the final seconds as Stefan Stokic capped the scoring.
SATURDAY
BALTIMORE 23, CHICAGO 13: The Baltimore Blast overcame an early deficit to take victory in their opening game of the season, with newcomer Tony Donatelli recording a hat trick in their victory against the Chicago Soul in front of 6,311 fans at 1st Mariner Arena.
The Soul got out to a flying start, with former league MVP Carlos Farias scoring a hat trick in the opening four minutes to give his side a 7-2 lead. Donatelli had the goal for the Blast, and he helped get his side back on track by adding his second with 6:13 to play in the first quarter. Machel Millwood then scored and assisted Lucio Gonzaga's opening goal of the season to give the Blast the lead before Donatelli completed his hat trick with 57 seconds to play in the opening quarter, making the score 10-7.
Farias notched his fourth goal of the game in the second quarter to cut the Blast's lead to one at the halftime break, but Baltimore got a pair of goals from Max Ferdinand and Stephen DeRoux, from 3-point range, in the opening 1:08 of the third quarter to extend their lead to 15-9. Roberto Gallo answered quickly for the Soul, but the four-point deficit was as close as they would get to the Blast for the remainder of the game as Mike Lookingland, Adriano Dos Santos and Pat Healey all scored before the end of the third quarter to leave the score 21-13 with 15 minutes to go.
Millwood's second goal of the game was the only goal of the fourth quarter, capping the Blast's victory. New goalkeeper Troy Hernandez made nine saves on his debut as the Soul split their opening road trip of the season.
SYRACUSE 16, ROCHESTER 10: The Syracuse Silver Knights took victory against the Rochester Lancers in a contest that saw wild swings of momentum until the home side pulled away in the fourth quarter in front of 3,461 fans at the OnCenter.
Syracuse's Matt Clare scored twice to get things going for the Silver Knights, including one from 3-point range, but the Lancers were able to rally within a point at the end of the first half as Doug Miller and Garret Pettis made the score 5-4. The Lancers then got a fast start to the second half, with Rey Martinez scoring just 13 seconds into the third quarter to give his side the lead. Mauricio Salles then added to Rochester's advantage with a pair of goals in just over a minute, putting the Lancers up 10-5.
Following a timeout, Syracuse was able to regain control, and Nelson Santana drove home a 3-pointer to cut the Lancers' lead to two. Darren Toby was then on hand to tie the game up with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter, and the teams went to the final 15 minutes even 10-10.
Syracuse maintained its momentum into the fourth quarter, with Slavisa Ubiparipovic scoring on a back-heel 4:19 in to give his side the lead for good. Santana added his second of the game before Neto scored as a shot deflected in off a Lancers defender to cap the scoring.
RESULTS
Friday, November 2
Chicago 13, Syracuse 8
Missouri 18, Wichita 15
Saturday, November 3
Syracuse 16, Rochester 10
Baltimore 23, Chicago 13
Sunday, November 4
Missouri 19, Wichita 10
SCHEDULE
Friday, November 9
Chicago at Baltimore, 7:35 p.m. ET
Milwaukee at Wichita, 8:35 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 10
Chicago at Rochester, 7 p.m. ET
Syracuse at Baltimore, 7:35 p.m. ET
Sunday, November 11
Missouri at Milwaukee, 4 p.m. ET
Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from November 5, 2012
- Brisson and McKinney Suffer Injuries, out Indefinitely - Chicago Soul FC
- Comets Claim Sweep of Wings - MISL
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