Comets visit Wave for Conference Finals rematch

Kansas City Comets @ Milwaukee Wave

MASL Regular Season — Game 3

Saturday, December 7 — 6 p.m. CT

Where | UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

National Broadcast | CBS Sports Golazo Network

The Kansas City Comets and Milwaukee Wave will renew indoor soccer's most heated rivalry on Saturday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

It will be the first time both sides meet since the Comets edged out the Wave in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, which was far from straightforward and still lives deep in the minds of both locker rooms. In Game 1, the Comets trailed most of the second half until Lucas Sousa's header tied it up at 4-4 with 70 seconds left before Zach Reget's game-winner with 27 seconds left. In Game 2, the Comets gave up a 6-0 fourth-quarter lead on home turf to face a 7-6 deficit until Robert Palmer's equalizer inside the final minute, setting up Christian Anderaos' overtime winner.

Last season's postseason knockout was the latest of some epic postseason moments shared between the two sides. Since 2011, both teams have delivered devastating postseason knockout punches to each other, with the Comets knocking out the Wave five times while Milwaukee has knocked out Kansas City three times.

The Comets have won five straight over the Wave in regular season and playoffs, last losing at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in January 2023. Since 2021, KC has a record of 11-4 against MKE.

Under second-year head coach Stefan Stokic, the Comets are coming from a two-game sweep of the St. Louis Ambush to open the season. KC cruised past the Ambush on the road in the opener with an 8-3 win but struggled at home in the first half before eventually finding some rhythm and winning 8-4.

Leo Acosta leads the team in scoring with two goals in each game, in addition to his two assists in the opener. Lesia Thetsane also shined in his Comets return, scoring two fantastic goals from distance.

With injury concerns to some notable players, including Niclau Neto, Phillip Ejimadu stepped up big in goal and got his first two wins in the MASL. Ejimadu made 25 saves total over the opening weekend and notched a pair of assists on Sunday.

The injury bug is back again this week as the Comets will be without Lucas Sousa (knee) and Henry Ramirez (knee) for Saturday's contest. DeBray Hollimon (foot) is questionable while Zach Reget (ankle), Nicolau Neto (hip) and Rian Marques (hand) are probable.

The Wave lead the all-time season series with 39 wins to KC's 36, but the Comets have managed a +1 goal differential over the first 75 games of the rivalry. The Comets are 15-23 in Milwaukee since 2010, looking for their third straight win on Milwaukee's black turf.

Milwaukee will step onto the field on Saturday for the first time since letting a late lead slip away and leaving the field in defeat in last April's Conference Finals against the Comets. Head coach Giuliano Oliviero will again lead Milwaukee into battle with a roster similar to the one that ended last season.

One notable addition they made was former Harrisburg Heat defender Robert Williamson. The Ian Bennett-Derek Huffman goalscoring duo is back for Milwaukee, as they combined for 42 goals last season. Former Harrisburg goalkeeper William Banahene is back for his third season with Milwaukee, earning an 18-8-2 record with over 500 saves in his first two seasons.

Huffman tallied a fourth-quarter hat trick in Game 2 of last year's Conference Finals, finishing the series with a team-leading five points. Max Ferdinand also played an important role in giving MKE the lead late with a goal and three assists in the final frame.

Saturday's meeting will be the first of three this season. Milwaukee visits Cable Dahmer Arena on January 5 before the series finale in Milwaukee on March 2.

After Saturday, the Comets will turn their attention to a meeting with the Dallas Sidekicks on Sunday, December 15, at Cable Dahmer Arena. Tickets are available at www.kccomets.com.