Comets Unable to Defeat Wichita

The Missouri Comets are ready for the extended road trips they've seen lately to end. In Wichita tonight they battled their rivals for sixty minutes, but were unable to comeback from an early deficit and lost to the Wichita Wings for the first time this season by the score of 10-4.

The Wings forward Miguel Ferrer was the recipient of an errant Alex Moseley shot. Standing in front of the net, he tucked it in the corner past Comets' goalkeeper Danny Waltman's outstretched arms. Forward Kareem Yearwood scored his first MISL goal two minutes later and the Wings had suddenly jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

The Comets upped their pressure in the second quarter, looking to spark the offense. Wichita took advantage of the pressure, breaking out for several scoring opportunities. Former Comets forward Geison jumped above Waltman's reach to head the ball past for a Wichita 6-0 lead midway through the quarter. Comets leading scorer, Byron Alvarez put the Comets on the board with four minutes remaining in the half. After that, the team abandoned the high pressure defense and was unable to build an attack the rest of the quarter.

Down 6-2 heading into the third quarter, the Comets came out of the locker room determined to play defense and build solid attacks through the middle. Throughout the second half they held the majority of possession and developed several attacks from Danny Waltman up to the forwards. Wichita, looking to preserve their lead, dropped into a defensive shell and relied on goalkeeper Sanaldo to keep them in the game. The Comets had 32 total shots on the night, most in the second half. Cristiano scored Missouri's second goal of the night with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter to cut Wichita's lead to 6-4.

With the game in reach, the Comets continued to pour on the pressure. Goalkeeper Danny Waltman joined the attack several times, even taking a shot at the Wings' yellow line at one point. Sanaldo, who had 15 saves, and his defense, with 17 blocks, stood tall. Frustrated at the lack of goals, defender Cristiano was called for boarding and then misconduct late in the game. Wichita was able to net two goals in the final frame, including a power play goal from Geison. The Comets go home tonight with a 10-4 loss, their first against Wichita this season.

The team will return to the Independence Events Center next Saturday night at 7:35 to face the Syracuse Silver Knights. The game will be the Second Annual Media Game. Fans can see their favorite TV, Radio, Newspaper and Internet personalities battle in an exhibition match at halftime.