COMETS HUMBLED BY WAVE

MILWAUKEE, WI - (March 2, 2025) - Milwaukee was a pit of misery for the Kansas City Comets as they were defeated by the Milwaukee Wave 13-3 on Sunday afternoon at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

From start to finish, the Wave were relentless and the Comets had no answer as their eight-game winning streak was shot down. In his sixth game against the Comets this season, Wave debutant Franck Tayou scored four and assisted once following his trade from St. Louis.

The Wave came firing out of the gates as they took a 2-0 first-quarter lead with goals from Ricardo Carvalho and Tayou. They extended their lead to 4-0 early in the second quarter when Ian Bennett and Alex Steinwasher added scores.

The Comets finally got a glimpse of hope when Danny Malhue scored after picking off a loose pass before rifling it into the top corner with 3:45 remaining in the second quarter. Any Comets hope was short-lived as Tayou scored his second shortly after before Max Ferdinand and Alex Sanchez made it 7-1 before halftime.

Milwaukee continued to pour it on throughout the second half, adding three more to make it 10-1 before Leo Acosta ended Milwaukee's six-goal run after converting a penalty kick towards the end of the third. The Wave added three more in the fourth while Acosta tallied Kansas City's third as he headed in his second of the half assisted by Christian Anderaos.

Less than 24 hours after clinching a spot in the 2025 Ron Newman Cup Playoffs, the Comets were quickly humbled in their first defeat since Jan. 15. The Comets' record dropped to 13-3-1 on the season, although they remain in second place in the MASL standings.

"I'm not going to make excuses; we have to do better," Comets coach Stefan Stokic said. "It was one of those games where things didn't go our way. We fed off of that and didn't manage it well."

The Comets' frustrating 10-goal defeat is one they hope to quickly move past. Next up for the Comets is another daunting challenge as they visit the Chihuahua Savage on Friday, March 9, for a visit to where last season ended in the Ron Newman Cup Finals.

"It's going to be difficult," Stokic said. "It's going to be really hard, but we just have to go back to the training ground to recover and start working to get ready for the game."

The Comets return home to Cable Dahmer Arena next Sunday, March 9, to host the San Diego Sockers. Tickets for that fierce matchup are available at kccomets.com/tickets.

1st – MKE Carvalho 2:56; MKE Tayou (Ferdinand) 14:18. Penalties – MKE Oliveira (bc - unsportsmanlike conduct) 14:03; KC Reget (bc - unsportsmanlike conduct) 14:03.

2nd – MKE Bennett (Carvalho) 1:42; MKE Steinwasher 5:37; KC Malhue 11:15; MKE Tayou (Oliveira) 12:25; MKE Ferdinand 14:12 PP; MKE Sanchez (Ferdinand) 14:25. Penalties – MKE Azcueta (bc - tripping) 6:08; KC Palmer (bc - contact above the shoulder/elbow) 13:53.

3rd – MKE Steinwasher (Tayou) 8:02; MKE Walls (Steinwasher) 11:55; MKE Carvalho 12:36; KC Acosta 13:41 PK. Penalties — KC Reget (rc - six fouls in a game) 13:04; MKE Banahene (bc - GK handball outside the box) 13:40.

4th – MKE Huffman (Steinwasher) 0:36; MKE Tayou (Bennett) 7:24; MKE Tayou (Azcueta) 13:28. Penalties – MKE Azcueta (bc - charging) 3:09; KC Flores (bc - dangerous play) 13:28; KC Mijatovic (bc - charging) 14:56; MKE (Alvarez) 14:56.

Power Play – Comets 0/5, Milwaukee 1/4

Penalty Minutes – Comets 8, Milwaukee 10

Fouls – Comets 25, Milwaukee 15

Shots – Comets 25, Milwaukee 36

Blocks - Comets 10, Milwaukee 9

Attendance - 4,410