Syracuse Silver Knights Look to Bounce Back, Set to Face Comets

The Syracuse Silver Knights of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) are looking to bounce back from a difficult overtime loss when they host the Missouri Comets this Friday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oncenter War Memorial Arena.

Before last Saturday's 12-10 overtime loss to Wichita, the Silver Knights were winners of two straight after taking part in a blockbuster trade that brought Jamar Beasley and Bryan Perez to the orange and black. Since that trade in late November, Beasley has tallied five points in two games played while Perez has racked up four in three games played.

Tommy Tanner's unselfish style of play seems to have settled in to this Knights team after a somewhat sluggish start to the season, and first year player, Neto, is reaping the benefits on the offensive side of the ball. Neto now sits at fourth in the entire MISL in points with 29 after putting up just three points in his first three games. After those first three games, Neto has scored in all of the Knights contests, including a crucial pair of second half goals against Wichita last weekend, bringing his season total to 12 goals. "Neto has done a tremendous job of holding the ball. He is able to make the right decision whether to shoot or pass to his teammate. This game against Missouri is crucial for our us to get back and stay in the MISL top four", said President and Head Coach Tommy Tanner.

Missouri now sits at second place in the MISL with a record of 5-3. After suffering consecutive losses that included a 13-7 drubbing at the hands of Syracuse on November 30, the last time the two teams met, Missouri bounced back last Sunday with a 14-11 win over the Chicago Soul. Forward Byron Alvarez has taken the MISL by storm this season, sitting at second on the overall points list with 32. Alvarez was last week's MISL Player of the Week after netting an emphatic hat-trick that saw his team to an important bounce-back win over Chicago.

Syracuse Key to Victory: The last time the two teams met on November 30, Syracuse was able to put themselves in the win column by putting in a spectacular effort on defense and sharing the ball on transition scoring chances. Star goalkeeper Bryan O'Quinn and the Knights D held Alvarez to a single goal while new signing Bryan Perez scored in the fourth quarter in his first game as a Silver Knight to secure the team a 13-7 win. If Tommy Tanner's team is going to secure a victory over the Comets this weekend, they will need to capitalize on their scoring chances and get the home crowd involved against a Missouri team that has struggled on the road this season.