KC Ends Sockers 10-game Winning Streak

INDEPENDENCE, MO (Friday, February 7, 2025) - The Kansas City Comets (9-1-2, 29, T-2nd) ended the visiting San Diego Sockers (10-2-0, 28, 4th) 10-game winning streak with a 9-6 victory on Friday night at Cable Dahmer Arena. The win allowed Kansas City to move ahead of San Diego in the standings. The nine goals represent the most given up by the team this season. The Sockers are now 0-4 lifetime against the Comets in Independence, MO.

Drew Ruggles, who has scored in two of his last three games, continued to impress offensively with a laser shot from outside the yellow line into the top left corner, giving the Sockers a 1-0 advantage at 3:49. Mitchell Cardenas received credit for the assist on a pass from the defensive zone. An unforced error by San Diego resulted in the Comets’ tying goal just 57 seconds later. During a restart inside their own area, Leo De Oliveira tapped the ball to Christian Gutierrez, whose slow return pass was intercepted by Christian Anderaos, allowing him to score easily without assistance. With only three passes, Kansas City took a 2-1 lead at the 10:11 mark on a goal by Zach Reget. Comets goalkeeper Phillip Ejimadu threw the ball to Ramone Palmer at midfield, who then connected with Reget on a pass to the top of the arc, where Reget finished the play with a looping shot over Boris Pardo. Kansas City initially celebrated a 3-1 lead, but the call was overturned after the Sockers challenged it. The first quarter concluded with the Comets ahead 2-1.

San Diego quickly equalized at 0:31 of the second period, as De Oliveira and Gutierrez teamed up to erase their earlier mistake. The sequence began with Morgan stealing the ball at midfield, which was then collected by De Oliviera who found Gutierrez inside the zone for the goal. Three-and-a-half minutes later, the Sockers went up 3-2 on a beautiful play that started with a Pardo outlet pass to Chiles who headed a pass to a streaking Ruggles for a goal that dribbled slowly past the goalkeeper into the goal   

The Comets exploded for three scores in the first five minutes of the second half. Rian Marques tied the game at 1:02 in off an assist from Leonardo Acosta, just after a power-play opportunity had expired. Palmer got his brace within two minutes as the Comets capitalized on another power-play chance with his goal at the 2:10 mark after Morgan was sent off for an unsportsmanlike conduct blue card. His second goal extended their lead to 5-3 at 4:07. Chiles pulled one back for San Diego midway through the quarter on an unassisted goal that was deflected by a Comets’ player and rolled into the goal.  

Kansas City increased its lead by two goals within one minute and thirty seconds in the fourth. The first came at 4:23 on a Lesia Thetsane score from the left side with an assist from Ignacio Flores. The seventh goal was a Michael Lenis’ wallascora goal off the pass from Marques. San Diego went to the sixth attacker midway through the period and it resulted in goals by Charlie Gonzalez goal at 10:38 and Luiz Morales at 12:48. However, the Comets would take advantage and add a Henry Ramirez marker to close out the win.

The Sockers conclude their two-match Midwest swing on Saturday, February 8, 4:05pm against the St. Louis Ambush at The Family Arena. The game will be streamed on MASLTV on YouTube. San Diego returns to Frontwave Arena on Sunday, February 16, 5:05pm to face the Chihuahua Savage on Teacher Appreciation Night. Individual, group, mini-plan, and $75 Family four-pack tickets are available at AXS.com, SDSockers.com, or FrontwaveArena.com.