Comets take season series over Wave with road win

The Kansas City Comets (9-7-4) clinched the season series against the Milwaukee Wave (11-7-1) for the second straight season as they beat the Wave by a final score of 8-6 on Sunday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

In the final meeting with the Wave this season, the Comets took all three critical points to take the season series four games to two.

The first quarter started slow until Ray Lee opened the scoring for the Comets with his ninth goal of the season 7:16 into the game. Akins Banton picked up his first career assist when he found Lee on the right side before uncorking a right-footed shot past that squeezed past the keeper.

The Comets went up 2-0 early in the second quarter when Benji Monreal scored his second goal of the weekend, but the Wave got on the board after Andre Hayne scored a power play goal 1:54 into the second quarter.

With Nicolau Neto serving a one-game suspension for point accumulation, Steven Tekesky got the start and made three saves in 21:42 seconds of work before being forced off after picking up a left thumb fracture in a collision with an opponent. Tito Favela came on to replace Tekesky.

Favela made a brilliant save to deny Alex Bradley’s stinging effort on goal, tipping the ball off the glass, but the rebound was headed in by Tony Walls to tie the game 8:21 into the second quarter.

Six seconds after the kickoff, Qudus Lawal made it three goals unanswered for the hosts as he put the Wave up 3-2 when he pressured the Comets into a turnover before scoring.

Rian Marques got the Comets going in the second half when he leveled the score at 3-3 with his eighth goal of the season. The Comets took a 4-3 lead when Christian Anderaos scored his sixth goal of the season, leading a 2 v 1 attack and lifting his left-footed shot past the keeper.

Hayne replied by scoring two consecutive goals to give Milwaukee a 5-4 lead.

The Comets tied it 5-5 as Junior Kazeem took credit as his pass deflected off of Ian Bennett. Marques put the Comets back in front with his second of the contest as he drove into the box and smashed it past the keeper.

The Comets took a two-goal lead when John Sosa fired in his 12th goal of the season with a shot from a restart that went through the wall.

That two-goal lead was sliced in half when Bennett found Derek Huffman open for a redirection at the far post as the game was set for a nervy finish with 2:26 left in the game.

Those nerves were alleviated when Zach Reget launched a drive from deep inside his own half to beat the sixth attacker and restore the Comets of a two-goal advantage that would not be overcome.

The Comets spent a couple of hours in fifth place on Sunday due to Utica City FC’s overtime win, but the Comets’ win over Milwaukee put them back up to fourth with 30 points.

With the short turnaround from Saturday’s loss at home, the Comets had some roster rotation as Jacob Garza and Banton got shifts with Kazeem returning to the lineup and Favela playing well once thrust into action in the second quarter.

“We came in with a game plan and they executed it,” said Comets assistant coach Stefan Stokic. “They were a big part of that game plan and they were a big reason we did what we did because they executed the game plan.”

The Comets are back in action with another tough back-to-back next weekend, starting Saturday when they host the Florida Tropics before traveling to face the Baltimore Blast on Sunday. Tickets for Saturday’s matchup are available at www.kccomets.com.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st – KC Lee (Banton) 7:16. Penalties —MKE Huffman (bc- Contact above the shoulder/elbow) 14:59; KC Palmer (bc- Contact above the shoulder/elbow) 14:59.

2nd – KC Monreal (Anderaos) 1:05; MKE Hayne (Bennett) PP 1:54; MKE Walls 8:21; MKE Lawal 8:27. Penalties — KC Kazeem (bc- tripping) 1:40; KC Monreal (bc- tripping) 9:59.

3rd – KC Marques (Gibson) 4:52; KC Anderaos (Marques) 7:06. Penalties — MKE Hayne (bc- too many men) 9:32; KC Sosa (bc- tripping) 11:41.

4th – MKE Hayne (Leite) 5:50; MKE Hayne 7:44; KC Kazeem 9:01; KC Marques 10:05; KC Sosa 11:43; MKE Huffman (Bennett) 12:34; KC Reget (Lee) 14:21. Penalties — KC Palmer (yc- dissent).

Power Play – Comets 0/2, Milwaukee 1/4

Penalty Minutes – Comets 13, Milwaukee 4

Fouls – Comets 15, Milwaukee 18

Shots – Comets 22, Milwaukee 29

Attendance – 3,573