Comets Clinch Berth In Playoffs

The Missouri Comets began this weekend simply needing a win to clinch their spot in the Major Indoor Soccer League Playoffs. They got that win on Sunday night against the Wichita Wings behind the strength of two incredible 3-point goals from Brian Harris and a pair of scores from Mads Falck. The 15-11 win also clinched the I-35 Rivalry Series, sponsored by Independence Tourism, for the second straight season.
Coming off a disappointing loss on Friday night to Chicago, Missouri dug itself into another hole in the first quarter. In the span of two minutes, Freddy Moojen netted two scores and Daniel Villegas put in another for a 6-0 Wings' lead at the end of the quarter.
Brian Harris took matters into his own hand as the second quarter began. He first collected a distribution from goalkeeper Danny Waltman and went the length of the floor, scoring a 3-point goal only 34 seconds into the period.  A minute later, Jeff Hughes took a pass from Vahid Assadpour and fired into the far corner to get the Comets within a point before Harris scored his second 3-point goal from the yellow line, absolutely burying the shot past the outstretched hands of Wichita goalkeeper, Sanaldo to give his side an 8-6 lead.
The Comets would hold their advantage to the halftime break, but in the third quarter Wings forward Andrew Hoxie got his side back on even terms with the only goal of the third period, setting up an exciting fourth quarter.  The 4,239 fans in attendance at the Independence Events Center were on the edge of their seats to see how the final frame would turn out. Missouri needed a victory to solidify their playoff standing and Wichita needed a win to even the season series with the playoffs already out of reach.
It was the Wings who struck first in the final frame as defender Victor Quiroz scored less than 30 seconds into the quarter to briefly put Wichita ahead 11-8, but Hughes and Falck each found the net for the Comets to regain the lead for their side, 12-11. Falck then added an insurance marker, winning a footrace down the sideline against the Wings’ sixth attacker Chris Lemons in the final three minutes to ice the game with his second goal of the night, a 3-pointer, to give the Comets a 15-11 victory.
The Comets finish the regular season on Wednesday, February 27th at Chicago’s Sears Centre Arena as they look for revenge from their game on Friday night against the Chicago Soul. Game time is at 7 p.m. CT and can be seen on MISLNation.com. Missouri will host the first game in a Semifinal Series of the MISL Playoffs on March 7th at 7:35 p.m. Fans can call (855) 4KC-GOAL on Monday, February 25th at 10 a.m. CT for information and tickets.