Comets beat Savage first time in team history

by Bill Althaus
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Not all heroes wear capes.

Just ask Kansas City Comets coach Stefan Stokic, whose heroic team pulled together to defeat the MASL defending champion Chihuahua Savage 5-2 Saturday night at Cable Dahmer Arena.

Goaltender Phillip Emijadu faced 50 shots and came away with 19 saves, Chad Vandegriffe scored two goals off assists from Zach Reget and their teammates turned in a performance that helped the Comets defeat Chihuahua for the first time in team history.

Ironically, the Savage defeated the Comets in two one-goal victories in 2024 to claim their second consecutive MASL championship.

MASL commissioner Keith Tozer, who attended the game, summed up the moment following the world-wide television broadcast when he said, "We could not have written a better script for this game. Unbelievable."

Perhaps now the nightmarish finish to last season's 4-3, 5-4 losses to the Savage in the MASL Ron Newman Cup Championship series will be replaced by a dream performance that you had to see, to fully appreciate.

"I feel like all the weight on my chest, since last year's championship series, has been lifted," Stokic said, after his team improved to 6-1-2. "This is our first win against Chihuahua in our team's history. There was an extra edge in this game - and we were ready for it."

Ejimadu turned in the performance of a lifetime as he added two assists, and came to the defense of his teammates during many of the skirmishes on the field.

Vandegriffe, hooked up with Regret, the Comets forward who is playing through a high-ankle sprain, for two goals that brought the fans out out of their seats.

Those goals also broke a 2-2 third-period tie and paved the way to the victory.

"Phillip played the game of his life," Stokic said. "You can't ask for more from a goalkeeper than we got from Phillip tonight. And our defense was amazing - holding Chihuahua to two goals? I don't know if that has happened over the past three seasons.

"Chad is having an unbelievable year, and it's great to see him get two big goals. And Zach is improving every game. He is an important part of our team, and while he is not. 100 percent, he is still Zach Reget. Overall, a win we will celebrate this weekend and get back to work Monday (at practice).

Ejimadu was quick to credit his teammates for the victory

"Our defense was amazing," said Ejimadu, who improved to 6-0-2. "Chad was blocking everything, and those goals were perfect. Chad got the two passes from Zach and put the goal in the back of the net. When we led 3-2, I felt like we were going to win.

"Then, when Chad's second goal made it 4-2, we knew there was a lot of soccer to be played, but that just gave us more confidence." 

Ejimadu then paused, and added, "Do you remember when we talked after we won the I-70 Cup (by beating St. Louis 4-3 at the Family Arena)? I told you I couldn't breathe in the closing minutes of that game.

"Tonight, I couldn't breathe for 60 minutes (chuckling). It was that intense our there - we were brothers and we were not going to be denied."

Reget also scored a goal to give the Comets a 2-1 lead at 13:00 into the second half. Following the goal, he ran to the Comets bench and put on a Leo Gibson No. 14 jersey, to honor the greatest player in Comets history.

"We lost a great coach, player and friend last year when Leo retired, and I wanted our fans to remember what he means to our team and our community," Reget said. "My mom actually made the jersey and we're going to get it to him soon."

Vandegriffe was the last player to leave the field after the emotional win, and he joked, "I don't know what I'm going to say - my brain is scrambled."

He was quick to add, "We played a complete game and got one of the biggest, if not the biggest (regular-season) win in team history. What can you say about Phillip in goal? Amazing. Those two passes from Zach were perfect - I didn't even break stride - and we proved that we can beat the best team in the league.

"It was intense and it got crazy out there and we found a way to win."

Each team scored one time in the opening frame with Kansas City's Nathan Durdle picking up his first career MASL goal with 2:11 to go in the quarter. Ejimadu assisted on the goal.

Chihuahua had an answer for on a Roberto Escalante goal less than a minute later to knot the game at 1-1 after 15 minutes of play.


Reget score the lone goal in the second quarter, on Comets' goalkeeper Ejimadu's second assist of the game to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead at the half.


Ríos converted a shootout opportunity to knot the score at 2-2 with 8:46 left in the third.


Vandegriffe and Reget then hooked up on their back-to-back goals and Lesia Thetsane accounted for the final goal of the game late in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Comets.
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"These are the types of games you dream about," Thetsane said. "Everyone contributed and we were able to give our fans something to cheer about. Now, we have to keep playing like this the rest of the season!"