Sunday, December 4, 2011
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Syracuse Silver Knights make only one trip this season to the Independence Events Center and they are probably in no hurry to come back. After taking a 10-9 lead early in the second half, the Comets poured on seven unanswered goals for the 23-10 victory. Lucas Rodriguez, Byron Alvarez and Brian Harris had two goals apiece and Rodriguez and Ryan Junge led the team with five points.
Syracuse started the scoring in the first half when Jeffrey Hughes scored off a restart three minutes into the game, but Junge answered with a three-pointer only three seconds later. Junge’s three-point goal was the difference after the first quarter as the Comets held onto a 5-4 lead.
The Silver Knights have one of the most prolific offenses in the league and weren’t about to go down easy. Hughes and Cory Elenio worked the ball down the field and retook the lead for the Knights halfway through the second quarter at 6-5. The Comets pressured the Syracuse goalkeeper with shot after shot. Six minutes into the quarter Alvarez worked his way down the left sideline and put a ball off the wall right to two waiting Comets. Rodriguez was able to put it away and the Comets regained the lead, 7-6.
Neto made the score 9-6 only a minute later and it seemed the Comets were pulling away for good, but Syracuse’s leading scorer, Slavisa Ubiparapovic scored a goal in his fourth consecutive game to bring the Knights within one at 9-8. That’s where the teams ended the half.
Andriy Budnyy of Syracuse got things going quickly in the second half and gave the Knights a temporary lead again at 10-9. That was the last time the Silver Knights came close to getting past Danny Waltman and the Comets' offense woke up from that point on. The Comets outshot the Knights 18-6 in the second half and scored seven consecutive goals in the third and fourth quarters.
Harris scored his second of the night on a penalty kill early in the fourth quarter, the Comets' third consecutive game with a shorthanded goal. Alvarez finished the scoring off 10:23 into the eriod and gave the Comets the 23-10 victory.
The 5-3 Comets are on the road next week taking on Baltimore and Norfolk. They are back home again December 28 against rival Wichita Wings. That game is the 1st Annual Media Game. Fans can see their favorite TV, Radio & Newspaper personalities battle for soccer supremacy at halftime. For tickets and information call the Comets Office at 816-478-2255.