Comets Lifeless Against Soul

As the MISL regular season winds down and teams position themselves for the playoffs, the Comets need just one win to clinch a spot in the postseason tournament. The Chicago Soul need two wins to overcome the Comets for the third seed. The Soul were definitely the hungrier team tonight as Matthew Stewart led his team to a 13-2 win over the Missouri Comets
Alex Megson got things started off in the first quarter, followed by Stewart's first two goals. Megson bookended the half with his second of the half and the Comets were down 8-0 after the first half.
At halftime, the Comets celebrated one of the greatest players from their storied history in Alan Mayer. Mayer, who was best known for being the first goalkeeper to wear a helmet while he played, was honored with his number being retired and hung in the rafters next to his former teammate Gino Schiraldi.
Having faced large deficits previously, coming back in the second half was not unexpected for the Comets. Chicago defended against that with superb play from goalkeeper Jeff Richey and strong defense from everyone in front of him. Frustrated, Leo Gibson was caught elbowing Chicago's Eric Lukin in the third period and was ejected from the game. On the ensuing power play Chile Farias scored a three point shot and the Comets were down 11-0 after three quarters. Vahid Assadpour was inserted as the sixth attacker, but Alex Megson completed his hat trick shortly after. Brian Harris avoided the shutout for the Comets, scoring with 6.2 seconds remaining in the quarter, but it was not close to enough as Missouri loses 13-2.
The Comets will be able to rebound on Sunday when they face their rivals to the south, the Wichita Wings at 3:10pm. It is the final game of the I-35 series, sponsored by Independence Tourism. With a win, the Comets will clinch a playoff spot for the third straight season and the Turnpike Trophy for the second straight season.