Comets set to host playoff opener against St. Louis

Kansas City Comets vs St. Louis Ambush

MASL Quarterfinals — Game 1

When: Monday, April 6 — 7pm CT

Where: Cable Dahmer Arena — Independence, MO

Watch: CBS Sports Golazo | Unbeaten Network | Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico only)

Tickets: Ticketmaster | Tickets For Less

Playoff action returns to Cable Dahmer Arena on Monday night as the No. 5-seeded Kansas City Comets host No. 4-seeded St. Louis Ambush in Game 1 of their MASL Quarterfinal Series.

Monday will open just the second I-70 Series in Ron Newman Cup Playoff history, following the Comets’ 2-0 sweep of the Ambush in 2021, also a quarterfinal matchup. It will be the ninth all-time indoor soccer playoff meeting between Kansas City and St. Louis, with KC having a 5-3 edge.

This year’s series schedule will mirror the 2021 series, with Game 1 at Cable Dahmer Arena and Game 2 in St. Charles after a day of rest. The Comets would be delighted to have the series play out in a similar manner on the turf as well, as they never trailed in either of the two games.

After a demanding 24-game regular season filled with ups and downs, the Comets hope the fresh slate will bring better fortune. They went 2-1-3 in the final month of the season, dropping to a No. 5 seed in the six-team playoff format.

A significant source of frustration stemmed from overtime results. The Comets went 2-7 on games that required overtime throughout the regular season, losing the last seven verdicts after taking the first two in December.

Rian Marques led the Comets to a 160-goal season for the first time since 2018-19, earning the MASL Scoring Champion title with 52 points from 29 goals and 23 assists. He was helped out up front by another top-five scorer in Zach Reget.

While strong offensively, the Comets aim to sharpen up defensively after conceding 150 goals in the regular season. They will rely on the goalkeeping effort of Phillip Ejimadu (career high 232 saves) and the shot-blocking abilities of league-leader Chad Vandegriffe (67 blocks), as well as Lesia Thetsane (career high 32 blocks), Guerrero Pino (third consecutive 30-block season) and DeBray Hollimon (career high 29 blocks).

The Comets hope to use their vast playoff experience to their advantage, with more than 250 games of playoff experience among their roster while the St. Louis players have just 57 combined games of playoff experience.

The Comets won the regular-season series 4-2, but St. Louis won the final two contests via overtime on Dec. 31 and a shootout on Jan. 4. Both teams missed opportunities to clinch the MASL Shield in the final weekend, but now the winner of the series will get an opportunity for redemption against San Diego in the MASL Semifinal Series.

The Opponent

The St. Louis Ambush return to the playoffs for back-to-back years for the first time in modern franchise history under head coach Jeff Locker.

After impressive runs through January and February, when they went 9-0-2, they faltered late in the season with a 2-2-3 record in the final month of the season.

St. Louis aims to win a playoff game over Kansas City for the first time since 1998, when the Ambush completed a 2-0 sweep of the Kansas City Attack in the NPSL Conference Semifinals.

The Ambush were among the best defensive teams in the MASL throughout the regular season, conceding just 117 goals in 24 games. They hope to use that same philosophy and pounce on their transition opportunities against the Comets.

STL’s defensive effort is led by veteran goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento, who logged a career high 1,300 minutes in his eighth season with the Ambush. Robert Williamson has also played a critical role for the Ambush defense with 49 blocks, second most in the MASL behind KC’s Vandegriffe.

The offense for the Ambush has been led by second-year standout Daniel Torrealba, who was a top-five goalscorer with 23 goals, including six against the Comets. Torrealba is joined by Christian Briggs, Triston Austin and Colin O’Keefe to play in all 24 games in the regular season.

After Monday’s clash, the series will be decided on Wednesday night at Family Arena in St. Charles. If the series is split after Game 2, a 15-minute knockout game will decide the winner.