Friday, December 30, 2011
WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita Wings won a thrilling game against the Missouri Comets as Edvin Worley’s goal with 1:36 to play gave his side a 12-10 victory in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,695 packed Hartman Arena. The win was the Wings’ first against their Central Division rivals this season.
Holding a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Wings appeared to be headed for victory until Missouri forward Byron Alvarez scored with just 2:46 left to play, redirecting in Christiano Diaz’s shot close to the net to tie the game 10-10. The game remained tied until Worley blasted home his first goal of the season from the top of the penalty area, and his strike was enough to seal the deal as the Wings held off the Comets’ late pressure with the sixth attacker.
“We couldn’t ask for a better game from our boys then the one they played tonight," Wings coach LeBaron Hollimon said. "They showed up ready to play, and team’s toughness tonight was commendable. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, and look forward to our next match-up against Missouri next week.”
The Wings dominated the first quarter, with four different Wings players scoring to give Wichita an 8-0 lead after 15 minutes. Wings rookie midfielder Alex Moseley struck first, assisted by Kevin Ten Eyck, just 2:58 into the game, and the Wings struck again at the 6:11 mark with a nifty goal by Alargie Jobe, Ten Eyck again providing the assist. Forward Freddy Moojen was next to find the back of the net, assisted by Victor Quiroz, 7:16 into the game, and Ten Eyck closed out scoring for the Wings in the first quarter with an unassisted 2-pointer.
The second quarter saw a swing in momentum as Missouri got on the board just 1:55 into the quarter through John Sosa. The Comets struck again just under three minutes later with an unassisted power play goal by Geison, cutting the Wings lead to 8-4. Wichita’s Jamar Beasley put some life back into the Wings with a power play goal to put the Wings up 10-4, but the Comets dominated the second half of the quarter as they pulled within two points after goals by Leo Gibson and Neto 35 seconds apart late in the quarter.
The game also began to get very physical in the second quarter, with the teams combining for 10 total fouls -- seven from Wichita and three from Missouri -- as well as five blue cards (three on Missouri, two on Wichita).
The game settled down in the third quarter, and both offenses cooled off as neither side was able to find the back of the net. Sanaldo had a solid game in goal for the Wings, recording 13 saves, while Danny Waltman was also sharp for the Comets.
But just as Alvarez’s goal had appeared to send the Wings and Comets to overtime for the second time this season, Waltman was unable to prevent Worley’s game-winning goal, sending most of the members of the Hartman Arena crowd home happy.
The Wings take on Missouri at Hartman Arena again on January 7, 2012. To keep up with all the latest Wings news, and to purchase your tickets for the January 7th game, visit www.wichitawingsindoorsoccer.com and be sure to follow the team’s social media domination on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Gowalla.