Comets set for season finale in San Diego

by Nathan Dunn

Kansas City Comets vs San Diego Sockers

MASL Regular Season — Game 24

When: Sunday, March 29 — 5pm CT

Where: Frontwave Arena — Oceanside, CA

The Kansas City Comets will close out the 2025-26 regular season on Sunday afternoon in Oceanside, looking to salvage momentum and secure favorable playoff positioning after their MASL Shield hopes were dashed in a heartbreaking 11-10 overtime loss at home on Friday night.

The Comets enter the finale with playoff qualification already locked in, but they will aim to finish strong against a Sockers side that now sits in prime position for the MASL Shield. They currently sit fifth in the standings, but could finish as high as second with a regulation win and other results going in the Comets’ favor.

Both sides make the trip to San Diego after the Sockers took a 21-goal thriller Friday night in Kansas City. While the Comets took a multi-goal lead in the fourth quarter, the Sockers’ comeback effort was eventually completed inside the final minute before scoring the winner in overtime.

Offensively, Rian Marques enters the final day of the season lead the MASL with 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) and remains a threat for Golden Boot, Passmaster and MVP honors. Zach Reget has also been pivotal in the attack as the only Comet to feature in each game this season, tallying 49 points from 28 goals and 21 assists.

The Comets’ defense will need to recuperate after an underwhelming performance on Friday. While they tallied 19 blocks, alongside Phillip Ejimadu’s 17 saves, they let another lead slip away late against the Sockers.

Chad Vandegriffe will hope to close out a second consecutive season as the league’s leader in blocks, entering Sunday with 63.

The Comets now trail the Sockers in the season series 3-1and will look to even the ledger or at least take points on the road to wrap up the campaign positively heading into the Ron Newman Cup playoffs. A win in regulation would allow the Comets to leapfrog the Sockers in the final season standings going into the playoffs.

The Opponent

The San Diego Sockers enter Sunday riding high after their dramatic 11-10 overtime victory in Independence on Friday, which put them back in the driver’s seat for the MASL Shield. San Diego enters Sunday second overall, but a regulation win would seal the shield in their home finale.

The Sockers’ offense exploded in Friday’s matchup, powered by Tavoy Morgan’s four-goal night and contributions from Leonardo De Oliveira, Jesus Pacheco, and Luiz Morales. Former Comet Stefan Mijatovic eventually won it in overtime.

Veteran target forward Nick Perera has anchored the attack all season with balanced offensive production, while the defensive unit, led by the goalkeeping duo of Boris Pardo and Chris Toth, remains among the league’s stingiest.

San Diego will look to carry the momentum from their comeback win into Sunday, where they hope to become the first home side to win in the season series.

After Sunday’s contest, both sides will prepare for postseason play. Stay tuned to Comets social media for announcements relating to playoff scheduling.