Comets Win Central Division with Dominating Performance

Published on February 27, 2017 under Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) News Release

KANSAS CITY- The Kansas City Comets finished their season against the same team they opened up against, the Cedar Rapids Rampage. Luckily for the Comets, the results were vastly different. The Comets led for nearly the entire game, with captain Vahid Assadpour scoring four goals to lead the way and goalkeeper Stephen Paterson sparking the team with his second goal of the season as Kansas City closed out the regular season with a 10-3 win.

The night was started with a first quarter goal from Ignacio 'Nacho' Flores in the first quarter, followed closely by Bryan Perez and the first from Assadpour. Kansas City was hitting on all cylinders as they cruised through the first quarter with a 3-0 lead.

Tony Walls finally got Cedar Rapids on the scoreboard when he snuck one past Paterson early in the second quarter. The Comets answered right back when Assadpour made Cedar Rapids' goalkeeper Brett Petricek bite on a fake shot with his right foot, then rolled the ball to his left for a wide open score. At halftime, the Comets were comfortably in the lead, 4-1.

With their third straight Central Division title in sight, the Comets poured on the pressure in the second half. Assadpour started out the third quarter with his third goal of the night and following a Robert Palmer score, the Comets captain assisted on another goal to Lucas Rodriguez.

A skirmish at the end of the third quarter resulted in the final period starting with each team putting two players into the penalty box. With only three offensive players on the floor, Kansas City's goalkeeper Stephen Paterson took advantage of the wide open space and ripped a shot that many strikers would appreciate. The shot found its way past the Rampage goalkeeper's gloves and into the back of the net for the second goal of the season for Paterson.

Paterson becomes the first goalkeeper in professional arena soccer to score two goals with his feet and record a shutout in the same season.

"Wow, I didn't realize that," said Paterson when told of his new record. "It was a little weird situation and I didn't know what to do really, but when I got past the half line I heard (head coach) Goran (Karadzov) yelling at me 'Go! Go!'. Then everything opened up in front of me so I took the shot."

Guerrero Pino scored moments later, followed by Assadpour's fourth of the night to secure the Comets 10-3 win.

With the win, the Comets secured their third straight regular season Central Division title as they prepare to open the playoffs against the Milwaukee Wave. The Central Division Championships will begin on March 9th at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, with kickoff scheduled for 7:35 p.m. CT.

Tickets are available at KCComets.com, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 855.4KC.GOAL.

The Kansas City Comets have a long rich history of indoor soccer in KC, including the 2014 MISL Championship. The reigning Back-to-Back-to-Back MASL Central Division champions play at the Silverstein Eve Centers Arena. For tickets and information call 855.452.GOAL (4625)

Comets Win Central Division with Dominating Performance (Kansas City Comets/Kory Brinton)

Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from February 27, 2017

• Comets Win Central Division with Dominating Performance - MISL

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