Comets swept the Heat this weekend

by Bill Althaus, Grain Valley News 
 
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Harrisburg, Pa. - A familar face was in the net for the Kansas City Comets Sunday afternoon at the Equine Arena at Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.
 
All-star goalkeeper Nicolau Neto, who has been sidelined much of this season with a lower body injury, allowed just two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Heat. The game was tied 2-2 at the half and Neto did not allow a goal in the final 30 minutes of action.

"Neto was outstanding," Comets coach Steffan Stokic said after his 12-1-2 team won its seventh game in a row. "We are blessed to have two fine goaltenders who always support each other. It's an area where they could be friction, but we have had none of that this season.

"In fact, I believe Neto's leadership and support of Phillip (Ejimadu, who leads the MASL with a 4.1 goals against average and is second with nine wins) are two big reasons he has had such a successful season. A team needs two outstanding goalkeepers to make a deep run in the playoffs, and we have two of the best."
in goal on the winning team at the recent MASL All-Star Game, enjoyed a moment of reflection before Sunday's win. 

"Before the game, I tried to figure out when was the last time I'd started a game for the Comets," said Neto, one of the greats in goal in the history of the storied franchise. 
The answer: Feb. 2, 2025 in a 7-3 victory over Harrisburg at Cable Dahmer Arena.
"I'm hoping for minutes, more starts throughout the remainder of the season. I don't think people know how hard it is to win back-to-back games on the road. We found a way to do it, and it feels good. It gives us confidence heading into the remainder of the season."

The Comets opened the weekend with a 6-4 win on Saturday. After jumping ahead 6-1, the Comets allowed the Heat back into the game but shut them down after they came within two scores with 25 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Sunday the Comets claimed the 4-2 win with Neto blanking the Heat in the second half.

“Harrisburg gave us everything they had,” Stokic said. “Harrisburg was flying. I haven’t seen Harrisburg play like that in a long time. They came out and wanted to beat us.” Despite the offensive struggles, the Comets’ defense remained sharp and shut out the Heat in the second half. 

Stokic highlighted his team's game management, including a patient 15-pass buildup to the Comets’ fourth goal, which was scored by Leo Acosta.

“We found a way to overcome that and win the game,” Stokic said. “At moments, you have to be able to do that. To be able to win a championship, you have to win games like that.”

The sweep broke a streak of 13 times when the Comets were unable to sweep a doubleheader in consecutive days dating back to 2021. Since losing to San Diego on Jan. 15, the Comets have won seven straight and taken all 21 points possible.

The Heat struck first Saturday when Roshawn Panton forced a turnover that he turned into a goal.

The Comets responded in a big way. They went on to score four straight the rest of the half, starting with a Nacho Flores layoff to Marques, who smashed it into the top corner. Michael Lenis followed his own effort to put the Comets ahead 2-1 after 11:13 played in the first.

Kansas City added a third 4:12 into the second when Reget's backheel assist allowed Erik Pereira to score his first career goal. Reget then got his own goal when he found an opening on the right side. A long pass from Ejimadu set up the score and gave the Comets a 4-1 halftime lead.

The reigning Golden Boot winner continued his scoring spree into the third period. Reget's second of the game was aided by a deflection before finishing his first hat trick of the season 8:31 into the game, assisted by Marques, giving the Comets a 6-1 lead.

After allowing six goals without a response, the Heat finally made the Comets sweat it out. Harrisburg goalkeeper Hugo Silva scored from a deflected effort 8:53 into the third, followed by Dominic Francis in a shootout to make it 6-3 after three quarters.

Francis scored again 25 seconds into the fourth, making it a two-goal game. But Ejimadu and the Comets defense made sure the Heat did not find the back of the net as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Reget's 4-point night consisted of three goals and an assist, followed by a goal and an assist from Marques. DeBray Hollimon led defenders with four blocks which pleased Stokic.

"It's crazy how much Hollimon has improved since he came here (to Kansas City)," Stokic said. "This is his second season and I feel like every season he gets better and better. His hard work and dedication are paying off. He's doing all the right things and he wants to be on the field."

Kansas City Comets forward Rian Marques and his teammates traveled to Harrisburg, Pa., this past weekend and swept the Heat 6-4 and 4-2, winning their sixth and seventh games in a row. Photo credit: MASL and Kansas City Comets