KC Comets Shock Sockers in Last Minute
(January 14, 2017) Heart Braking. Emotional. Tenacious.
The Sockers put in a virtuoso performance at the Valley View Casino Center against one of the top teams in the Major Arena Soccer League.
Down 5-1 in the 3rd quarter, the San Diego scored five unanswered goals to turn the tide, but Kansas City prevailed 7-6 with a last minute goal by hat-trick hero Alain Matingou. The loss is San Diego Sockers first hiccup at home this season.
In a fairly contested match, the Comets took the early lead five minutes into the 1st quarter through Brian Harris.
They would go into halftime with a massive 4-0 advantage, with Matingou and Leo Gibson scoring the other 3 goals for the Comets.
The second half proved to be a different story. The Sockers, playing in their black and yellow third kits, came out firing in the 3rd quarter. Anthony Medina started the 5-goal streak with an off-the-wall blast into the roof of the net.
Comet’s defender Robert Palmer than received a red card for striking fan-favorite, Eddie Velez. “Vaquero Velez” was making his first appearance since opening night of the 2016-17 season.
Kraig Chiles continued the 3rd quarter barrage with two well-taken goals in the matter of a minute, reigniting the frustrated crowd.
Max Touloute, playing against his former team for the first time, scored two goals to give the Sockers a brief 6-5 lead. The crowd went absolutely wild as the Sockers took their first lead of the evening.
San Diego looked to keep possession and nick in a final goal to settle the match with only a few minutes remaining. It was not to be, however, as Kansas City players threw themselves in front of every Sockers’ shot.
With only three minutes left in the game, the Comets shocked the Sockers’ crowd by scoring two quick goals to take the lead. Ramone Palmer twice assisted as Brian Perez and Matingou provided the finishing touches to claim the victory for the Comets.
Sockers fans were left devastated, but can take pride in how well their team responded to the adversity.
Next Week, the Sockers return to the Valley View Casino Center to face MASL powerhouse Soles de Sonora at 7:05pm. You can catch all the Sockers game live on MASLtv Youtube. Make sure to follow San Diego Sockers on social media @sandiegosockers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat! #Questfor15