Comets host Sockers Rubber Match

by Nathan Dunn

Kansas City Comets vs San Diego Sockers

MASL Regular Season — Game 19

Sunday, March 9 — 4 p.m. CT

Where | Cable Dahmer Arena - Independence, MO

The Kansas City Comets (13-3-2) are back on home turf this Sunday as they play host to the San Diego Sockers (16-3-0) for the rubber match of the season series.

The Comets are looking to return to winning ways after a pair of losses. The Comets played well for three quarters on Friday in Chihuahua but didn't have enough to overcome a 4-goal deficit in the second quarter.

The Comets will be ecstatic to be back in front of the home fans again on Sunday, where they have dropped just two points all season. The Comets' 8-0-1 home record is among the best in the league — only Chihuahua and San Diego have more home wins.

Currently third in the standings behind San Diego, a victory on Sunday would place the Comets back in the conversation for a top-2 seed with a game in hand, but a loss would be devastating to those hopes. KC is currently four points back from the Sockers and eight points clear of fourth-place Baltimore.

There are some injury updates since Friday's loss, with Lesia Thetsane now doubtful (ankle) as the Comets will be without Chase Peterson (lower leg) and Marcel Berry (lower leg; season-ending injury). KC has six listed as questionable — Ramone Palmer (knee), Lucas Sousa (knee), Zach Reget (back), Junior Kazeem (foot), Leo Acosta (ankle) and Rian Marques (thigh). The defensive duo of Nacho Flores (knee) and Chad Vandegriffe (foot) are both probable.

The Comets hope to get their offensive spark back on Silverstein Eye Centers Field, looking to end a 4-game streak of scoring four or less goals. The potential return of Marques and Reget — the team's leading scorers — could help end the offensive struggles.

Defensively, the Comets are still led by a pair of league leaders. Vandegriffe leads the league with 61 blocked shots, 11 more than second-place Nestor Hernandez of Dallas. In goal, Phillip Ejimadu continues to lead the MASL with a 4.39 goals against average.

Sunday's matchup will be the rubber match for the season series, currently split 1-1. The Comets are 4-0-0 all-time against the Sockers at Cable Dahmer Arena.

The Opponent

The Sockers have won five straight games entering Sunday's contest, the longest current winning run in the MASL. Since their loss to the Comets last month, San Diego is 6-1-0 with a road loss to Chihuahua.

San Diego is coming from a 6-3 win road against the St. Louis Ambush on Friday night. Tied 2-2 at halftime, the Sockers scored three in the third and closed the game well as they shutout the Ambush in the fourth quarter.

The Sockers are led from the back by former Comet goalkeeper Boris Pardo, who leads the league with 11 wins and stopped nearly 70% of shots faced. Pardo's defense — not afraid of confrontation as Cesar Cerda has 22 penalty minutes and newly acquired Kristian Quintana's league-high 47 fouls — has allowed a league-best 4.6 goals per game.

On the offensive end, San Diego averages 6.2 goals per game. They have a variety of resources led by 20-point scorers Tavoy Morgan, Charlie Gonzalez, Kraig Chiles and Gabriel Costa.

The Sockers are 6-3-0 on the road, winning their two most recent away games by three scores each. SD will be without Felipe Gonzalez (lower); Luis Ortega (lower) and Eli Zamora (lower).

The Comets will be back at Cable Dahmer Arena for a Friday night rivalry rematch against the Milwaukee Wave on March 14. Visit kccomets.com/tickets to secure your seat.