KANSAS CITY WELCOMES ST. LOUIS, UTICA FOR WEEKEND DOUBLE HEADER

This Friday night, the 4-4 Kansas City Comets will play host to the 4-5 St. Louis Ambush for the fourth game in the two rivals’ 2018-2019 series.

GAME NOTES:
Comets vs St Louis Ambush
Comets vs Utica City FC

St. Louis took the first two victories in the series, but the Comets came out on top 10-4 in their last bout at the Family Arena.

Over the weekend, both the Ambush and the Comets traveled to Milwaukee to face the first-place Milwaukee Wave.

On Friday, Kansas City handed Milwaukee its first loss of the season with a final score of 7-6. The next day, the Ambush were defeated 7-1 by the Wave.

The weekend’s results lead to the Comets overtaking St. Louis for the second-place-spot in the South Central Division.

As of this week, the Ambush have adjusted their lineup since their last meeting with Kansas City. St. Louis traded midfielder Antonio Manfut to the Florida Tropics and received forward Jowayne Laidley in return.

Laidley has made appearances for the Tropics in eight of the team’s nine games on the season. This season, he has racked up one goal, four assists and two blocked shots.

St. Louis will hope that the roster changes will help them overtake Kansas City in the division and regain their lost second-place spot.

The Comets, on a three-game winning streak, will hope for more of the same come Friday night. As of this weekend, Kansas City jumped to first place in the MASL in special teams stats, sporting a 69 percent power play conversion rate, and a 71 percent penalty kill rate.

The teams will take to the turf at 7:35 p.m. CT on Friday, January 18 in Silverstein Eye Centers Arena.

Two days later, on Sunday, the Comets will welcome the 7-2 Utica City FC to Silverstein for the first time since the team’s move from Syracuse.

Utica’s last visit to Silverstein Eye Centers Arena took place in 2017-- back when the team was known as the Syracuse Silver Knights. The Comets netted 4 straight goals in the fourth period to come back for a 6-5 win.

This weekend, Utica will enter Silverstein after facing St. Louis in the Family Arena the night before. In their last match, City FC scored a 6-4 victory over the Harrisburg Heat, setting them on a two-game winning streak.

Utica has performed well on the road this season, tallying a 2-1 away record. Their only road loss was a 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Blast. Away record aside, the team may feel right at home on the blue turf of SportShake Field, similar in color to the turf in Adirondack Bank Center.

Kansas City will have to watch out for FC’s dangerous offensive weapons in forwards Slavisa Ubiparipovic (11 goals, 18 points) and Joey Tavernese (8 goals, 15 points).

Though both teams will have faced St. Louis earlier in the weekend, the Comets will appreciate an extra day of rest over Utica City.

Based on previous bouts between the two clubs, this upcoming match is sure to be an exciting one. Kansas City’s last win over Utica (Syracuse) put them ahead 6-5 in the overall series.

The Comets have been on a hot streak after the slow start to their season. This weekend, Kansas City will try to keep up the heat despite the eight degree forecast.

The match kicks off Sunday, January 20 at 7:05 p.m. CT.

WHO:
St. Louis Ambush @ Kansas City Comets

WHEN: 
Friday, January 18, 2019.
7:35 p.m. C.T.

WHERE:
Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
19100 E Valley View Pkwy
Independence, MO 64055

PRICE: 
Single game tickets start at only $15+tax!

THEN…

WHO:
Utica City FC @ Kansas City Comets

WHEN: 
Sunday, January 20, 2019.
7:05 p.m. C.T.

WHERE:
Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
19100 E Valley View Pkwy
Independence, MO 64055

PRICE: 
Single game tickets start at only $15+tax!