COMETS BEST AMBUSH IN HOME OPENER

The Kansas City Comets won their home opener, 6-4, over the rival St. Louis Ambush Saturday at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. The win makes the Comets 1-1 on the season, dropping the Ambush to 0-2. 

The Comets grabbed hold of the lead early, scoring three goals before the Ambush were able to get on the board. The scoring was spread around, with six different Comets getting in the books. 

Kansas City native and former Sporting KC signee Matt Lewis opened scoring in the third minute of his Comets debut, cleaning up after a Leo Gibson shot and a Ray Saari follow-up-attempt.  

The Ambush picked up the first blue card of the game when Stefan St. Louis was penalized for an illegal tackle deep in his own end. Captain John Sosa buried the set piece opportunity upper-90, far post, to increase the lead to 2-0 with three minutes to play in the first quarter. 

Ray Lee scored his first goal of the season just 11 seconds into the second quarter, his first at home in just three games with the Comets. Kiel Williams fed him perfectly over the middle for the one-touch score. 

Robert Kelly picked up Kansas City’s first blue card midway into the second half for tripping. The Ambush capitalized during the power play, with Duduca Carvalho bodying the ball into the net from just in front of the keeper. 

The Comets got it right back via Williams. St. Louis committed a hard foul, taking Lewis down from behind. The penalty didn’t draw a card, but gave the Comets an attacking platform. Gibson fired the first shot, but it was Williams who put it in the back of the net, extending Kansas City’s lead to 4-1. 

Ray Saari added one more for good measure before intermission sneaking one across the keeper’s face from a seemingly impossible angle. Gibson made the assist, putting the Comets up 5-1 going into halftime. 

The Ambush scored the only goal of the third period, with Tony Walls cutting the home lead to three. St. Louis scored the first goal of the final period, too. Diego Bobadilla played a pass perfectly off the boards for Douglas Dos Santos, who beat Steven Hamersky with one touch, giving the Comets a two-goal lead, 5-3. 

Gibson stopped the skid, scoring off a Mirko Sandivari assist with about six minutes to play. The goal forced the Ambush to play with their keeper in attack the rest of the way. It paid off when Paulo Nascimento beat his opposite from long-range, cutting the Kansas City lead to two with under two minutes to play. 

The score was too little, too late, as Hamersky and the Comets’ scramble defense, led by Sandivari, kept St. Louis’ desperate shots from finding the net. The Ambush picked up a blue card in the final minute, destroying any hope of a miracle comeback.  

The Comets won’t lace back up until they welcome the Ambush back Dec. 15. The Ambush are at the Milwaukee Wave Dec. 8, hoping to avenge a 7-2 loss from Friday.