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Comets Weekly

October 13, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Kansas City Comets News Release


The Comets fell 7-4 to the St. Louis Steamers in front of 6,301 fans at Kemper Arena on Saturday night, marking the start of the 2003-04 season for both teams and a renewal of their cross-state rivalry.

A power play goal from Franck M'Bemba at 4:21 of the second quarter gave the Comets a 3-2 lead, but the Steamers then went on a 4-0 run to assume a 6-3 lead. Miodrag Djerisilo's score at 9:10 of the fourth made it 6-4, but Kansas City could pull no closer. Djerisilo and Jamar Beasley led the Comets with two points apiece (goal, assist). DJ Horvath took the loss in goal with 14 saves on 20 shots.

Steve Butcher and Jeff DiMaria both scored a pair of goals for the Steamers. Butcher's second goal, into an empty net with 43 seconds left, iced the win. Goalkeeper Brett Phillips got the win, saving 12 of 16 shots.

The teams combined for 33 minutes in penalties, 25 of which were assessed to the Steamers. St. Louis was 1-4 on the power play, and the Comets were 1-5.

The Comets and Steamers meet again on Saturday, October 25 at the Family Arena in St. Charles. Game time is 7:35 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE:

DATE EVENT TIME
Tues, Oct 14 Practice, K.C. Soccer Dome 10:00 – 12:00 a.m., 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Wed, Oct 15 Practice, K.C. Soccer Dome 10:00 – 12:00 a.m.
Thur, Oct 16 Practice, K.C. Soccer Dome 10:00 – 12:00 a.m., 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Fri, Oct 17 Practice, K.C. Soccer Dome 10:00 – 12:00 a.m.
Sat, Oct 18 COMETS VS. MONTERREY FURY, KEMPER ARENA, 7:35 P.M.

The Comets will practice this week at the Kansas City Soccer Dome. The team is scheduled to have off on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Kansas City Comets practices are open to the media and public. Please call Sharon Capps at 816-474-2255 to confirm player and staff availability.

The expansion Monterrey Fury comes to town this Saturday, October 18 for a 7:35 p.m. kickoff. The Fury is 1-1, having fallen to Dallas 9-2 on October 4 and recording an 8-6 win on October 5.

The game will be broadcast live on KCKN Sports Radio 1340 AM, once again the radio home of the Comets for 2003-04. Veteran broadcaster Nick Vasos will provide the call for every Comets game, home and away, this season.

Following this weekend, the Comets embark on a four-game road swing that will take them to St. Louis (October 25), San Diego (November 9), Milwaukee (November 14), and Philadelphia (November 15).

SAVIC STILL LOOKING FOR 200:

With one more win, Comets Head Coach Zoran Savic can add another item to his litany of accomplishments. That victory will make him only the second coach in League history to win 200 regular season games. The native of Gornijo Millanovic, Yugoslavia, has gone 199-166 in his nine seasons as Kansas City head coach, posted a 23-22 playoff record, earned two championship rings (one as Coach, one as General Manager), and been named Coach of the Year twice (1992-93 and 1994-95).

Interestingly, the only other man in League history to achieve the 200-win mark is current Milwaukee Wave coach Keith Tozer (427 career wins in this League), who preceded Savic as head coach of the Kansas City franchise (located in Atlanta in '89-90 and '90-91).

Savic is not alone as he nears a significant milestone. Comets staple Wes Wade needs only four more goals to hit 300 for his MISL career. Wade is Kansas City's all-time leader in games played (374), points (983), assists (424), and blocks (389).

WAVE, KIXX NOTCH VICTORIES:

Michael King's goal with eight seconds left in regulation gave the Milwaukee Wave a 4-3 win over the San Diego Sockers at San Diego Sports Arena on Saturday night. Victor Nogueira saved 11 of 15 shots in goal for San Diego against his former team.

Also on Saturday, the undefeated Philadelphia KiXX rode another stellar performance from Peter Pappas to a 5-3 win over the Baltimore Blast. Pappas saved 20 of 23 shots, earning his second straight Goalkeeper of the Week Award. Goran Vasic scored three points (goal, two assists) in the win.

In addition to Pappas, the St. Louis pair of Steve Butcher (Offensive) and Craig Scheer (Defensive) was recognized by the League on Monday.

ODDS AND ENDS:

- Comets forward Jamar Beasley scored his first MISL goal at 4:07 of the first quarter on Saturday night. The game marked Beasley's 24th birthday. His brother DaMarcus, the staring left winger for the U.S. National Team, was in attendance at Kemper Arena.

- Home teams have gone 1-5 thus far in the 2003-04 MISL season. The Dallas Sidekicks are the only team with a home victory.

- Including this Saturday, the Comets play only two of their next nine games at home. Over that stretch, Kansas City will visit every MISL city except Cleveland at least once. The Comets do not travel to Cleveland until January 11.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from October 13, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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