SHORT-HANDED COMETS LOSE FIRST GAME SOUTH OF BORDER

by Jeff Husted

HERMOSILLO, SONORA, Mexico (February 24, 2018) – The  Kansas City Comets made their first trip the Centro de Usos Multiples  in Hermosillo, Mexico this evening. Against last season’s MASL  runners-up, the Comets played strong through the first three and half  quarters, but their legs ran out on them and the highest scoring team in  found the goal too many times in the final twenty-two minutes of the  game, handing the Comets their first loss in Mexico since they returned  to action, 14-7.

Due to injuries and travel visa issues, the Comets were forced to  play tonight’s game with a much shorter bench than normal. They started  out the game in a defensive stance, hanging back in their defensive  third with the speedy Adam James hanging out at the top of the  formation.

The normally explosive Soles got a little greedy late in the opening  quarter. Sonora’s goalkeeper wandered far out of his net to try and  force the pressure, but his pass was intercepted by Adam James just past  his own yellow line. Seeing nothing but turf between him and the goal,  he launched a long lob that went straight to the back of the net, giving  the Comets the 1-0 lead that would last through the end of the 1st quarter.

Sonora tied it up early in the second quarter, but Nacho Flores  answered right back nearly 30 seconds later to put Kansas City back up  2-1. Sonora was able to sneak two more goals in during the quarter, but  Leo Gibson closed out the period with his 24th goal of the season to tie it up 3-3 at the halftime break.

The Comets did a good job shutting out Franck Tayou in the first  half. However, the MASL’s single-season scoring record holder hasn’t  been shut out of a complete game since November and he wasn’t about to  be shut out tonight. He found his way onto the scoresheet three minutes  into the second half.

Another Sonora goal gave Soles a two-goal cushion, but Lucas  Rodriguez erased that with two of his own midway through the period,  equalizing the game at 5-5.

From that point, Sonora began to pull away from the game. The Comets  gave up five straight goals to Sonora before Carlos Trombini broke in to  get the Comets within 10-6 of Sonora. Nacho Flores deflected a Bryan  Perez shot into the goal later in the fourth period. However it wasn’t  enough and the Comets fall 14-7.

Kansas City will move on immediately as they head to the State Farm  Arena in Texas tomorrow for an evening match against the El Paso  Coyotes. Game time for the match is 6:05 p.m. CT and fans can watch it  live on KCComets.com/live-feed or MASLtv.