Comets complete season sweep of UCFC

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The Kansas City Comets held on to a second-half lead to complete a season sweep of Utica City FC, defeating them 6-5 on Sunday evening at Cable Dahmer Arena.

With more than 40 indoor soccer alumni in attendance, the Comets delivered a much-needed victory on Retro Night while wearing jerseys from the 1989-90 season. While Rian Marques and Lesia Thetsane both delivered two-goal braces, things got uncomfortable for important segments of the game.

It was a troubling start to the contest for the Comets as they found themselves in an early hole. Utica City’s Jose Tavares gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the first 12 minutes, scoring his first two goals this season, but the Comets found a response through Nacho Flores shortly before the end of the first.

Flores’ response, assisted by Guerrero Pino, provided a much-needed boost to catapult the Comets’ offense. They added three more in the second as Lesia Thetsane, Rian Marques and Michael Lenis scored to make it 4-2 for the Comets at halftime.

After a scoreless third period, Marques scored again to give the Comets their largest cushion of the night to make it five goals unanswered early in the fourth quarter. Trailing by three, Utica City did not go down without a fight.

UCFC got themselves back into the game when Francesco Pagano scored his first career goal, followed several minutes later by Willie Spurr’s strike to get the visitors within a score. Thetsane restored a multi-goal lead, only for UCFC’s Gordy Gurson to pull one back for a nail-biting finish that the Comets ultimately prevailed 6-5.

“A win is a win,” Comets head coach Stefan Stokic said. “You have to be able to win games that don’t go your way. We all know; I know it and players know that we didn’t perform our best. Now moving forward, we know we have to work on it.”

The victory sends the Comets up to second place in the MASL standings, passing San Diego and Milwaukee. They now trail St. Louis by a single point as Kansas City heads into a week off.

The Comets move into the final month of the regular season, returning to action on Friday, March 6, as they visit the Tacoma Stars. The Comets are back home on Saturday, March 14, to host the San Diego Sockers. Tickets are available at kccomets.com/tickets.

SCORING SUMMARY

GAME STATS

Attendance - 4,702