Comets Sweep Weekend Series with 8-4 Win over Ambush
December 1, 2024 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Kansas City Comets News Release
Independence, MO. - The Comets (2-0-0) completed a two-game weekend sweep of their in-state rival St. Louis Ambush with an 8-4 win in front of 5,121 fans at Cable Dahmer Arena. Kansas City outscored the Ambush 6-1 in the second half to seal the win. Phillip Ejimadu picked up his second win in goal for the Comets, stopping six of the 10 shots he faced. The Comets outshot St. Louis by a 42-24 margin in the game.
The Ambush came out with much more intensity than they showed Friday night in St. Charles and managed the only goal of the first quarter. After Kansas City killed off a penalty to Guerreo Pino, they were whistled for too many men on the field and St. Louis converted on their second man advantage of the game.
13 seconds into the power play, Duduca Carvalho connected with Franck Tayou for the Ambush goal, giving St. Louis a 1-0 lead with 7:07 to go in the opening quarter. The Comets held Franck Tayou to just one shot in Friday's season opener and his goal with the first of two points in the opening half tonight.
Kansas City had their first power play opportunity of the game when James Thomas was sent to the box for tripping. St. Louis managed to hold the Comets off the scoreboard on the power play, but 18 seconds after killing the penalty they made a costly mistake with a turnover in their defensive zone.
Lesia Thetsane picked up a loose ball and drove down the left side before unleashing a shot past Ambush keeper Paulo Nascimento into the opposite upper 90 to tie the game with 10:21 to play in the half.
Just under a minute later, St. Louis went back up by one on a Franck Tayou assist to William Eskay who sent a shot over Comets' keeper Phillip Ejimadu for a 2-1 advantage with 9:22 on the clock.
Ejimadu recorded his first career MASL point by sending a ball to Zach Reget in the corner. Reget was able to convert that into a goal to level the game once again, this time at 2-2 with 7:50 to play in the half.
The Ambush answered quickly again, this time a little over a minute later on a Julio Varela to Triston Austin goal to make it a 3-2 St. Louis lead and the teams took that score to the locker rooms at halftime.
Whatever Comets head coach Stefan Stokic said to the team at the break worked as his squad responded with the first three goals of the third quarter,
Reget notched his second of the game but paid a price for it as he left the contest for a bit with a tender ankle. His goal leveled the game for the final time at 3-3 with 9:53 to go in the third.
Ramone Palmer scored his first of two goals in the game on a long pass from Rian Marques. Palmer was wide open at the far post and tapped in the goal for a 4-3 lead less than a minute after Reget's goal.
Kansas City stretched their lead to two when Ejimadu found Acosta alone on the right side of the field. Acosta made a short, unobstructed run and beat Nascimento with a low shot to the opposite corner to make it 5-3 with 6:00 to play in the third.
St. Louis snapped the Kansas City run at three with a goal off a Comets defender which was credited to Franck Tayou to put the score at 5-4 Comets to end the third quarter.
The final quarter belonged to Kansas City as they tallied the only three goals of the frame. Two of them came from Acosta and Palmer just 25 seconds apart to set the score at 7-4 with under five minutes to go.
Marques closed out scoring on a shootout following a blue card to Nascimento for handling outside the box bringing the Comets goal total to eight for the second straight game to open the season.
The Comets will now head north to face the Milwaukee Wave at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena on Saturday before returning to Cable Dahmer Arena on Sunday, December 15 to battle the Dallas Sidekicks at 5:05 pm CST. Get your tickets today for Dallas' only visit to KC this season at www.kccomets.com before they sell out.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st - STL F. Tayou 1 (Carvalho) 7:53 pp. Penalties - KC Pino (bc- two-footed tackle) 5:18; KC (bc- too many men) 7:40.
2nd - KC Thetsane 2 4:39; STL Eskay 1 (F. Tayou) 5:38; KC Reget 2 (Ejimadu) 7:10; STL Austin 1 (Varela) 8:20. Penalties - STL Thomas (bc- tripping) 2:21; STL F. Tayou (bc- 4 fouls in a half) 14:21.
3rd - KC Reget 3 (Thetsane) 5:07; KC Palmer (Marques) 5:46; KC Acosta (Ejimadu) 9:00; STL F. Tayou 2 11:31. Penalties - None.
4th - KC Acosta 4 (Reget) 9:45; KC Palmer 2 (Berry) 10:10; KC Marques 2 10:21 so. Penalties - STL Eskay (yc- dissent) 2:14; STL Nascimento (bc- gk handling outside the box) 10:21.
Power Play - Comets 0/3, St. Louis 1/2
Penalty Minutes - Comets 2, St. Louis 11
Fouls - Comets 10, St. Louis 24
Shots - Comets 42, St. Louis 24
Attendance - 5,121
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Major Arena Soccer League Stories from December 1, 2024
- Comets Sweep Weekend Series with 8-4 Win over Ambush - Kansas City Comets
- St. Louis Ambush Fall to Kansas City on the Road - St. Louis Ambush
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