KC Comets see positives despite overtime loss to Milwaukee; Rian Marques has career day

While the Kansas City Comets took a 9-8 loss in overtime against Eastern Conference rival the Milwaukee Wave on Sunday afternoon, they also saw some key players step up.

After the Comets took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first quarter, a brutal second quarter put them behind 6-2 at halftime.

With their backs against the wall against the Eastern Conference leaders, the Comets had a profound response. It took Rian Marques just 20 seconds to get the Comets within three. He scored again just 27 seconds after to make it 6-4.

Milwaukee got one back, but Marques completed his third-quarter hat trick before goals from Nacho Flores and Ray Lee leveled the score at 7-7 through three quarters.

After going down 8-7, Marques scored his fourth of the game with 1:35 left in the contest. After making it to overtime, and securing a point on the road, the Comets were eventually struck down 9-8 by Milwaukee’s Mario Alvarez, as the Wave quickly transformed a Comets turnover into a game-winning goal.

With other results around the league going in favor of the Comets, Kansas City still sits third in the East with five wins and eight losses.

After struggling offensively for much of the season, the Comets have now had their two highest-scoring games against one of the toughest defensive teams in the MASL.

The Comets entered Sunday coming off a 10-4 win over Milwaukee where player/coach Leo Gibson scored four goals and added two assists. In the most recent 9-8 overtime loss, it was Marques who stepped up with four goals.

Marques has been among Kansas City’s top scorers in each of the previous two seasons, but the Brazilian target forward had struggled with injuries this season and only produced one goal in seven games before erupting for the career-high four on Sunday.

Lee has also found his magic touch recently. After being held without a point all season, the Park Hill High School graduate added seven points with five goals and two assists in his last two games.

The Comets are back home at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence on Saturday, Feb. 4, when they play host to the St. Louis Ambush for the final time this season. The halftime entertainment will be the annual Celebrity/Media Game. Tickets are available at kccomets.com/tickets.