MILWAUKEE WAVE WIN SEASON SERIES WITH COMETS; ALVAREZ 5 POINTS IN SCHOOL DAY WIN.

MILWAUKEE, WI - 

By Henry Amini

The 7-Time Champion Milwaukee Wave defeated the Kansas City Comets in Milwaukee to take charge of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) table.

Final Score: Milwaukee Wave 10, Kansas City Comets 6.
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | REPLAY

The UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena was filled with energy on Tuesday Morning where the Milwaukee Wave hosted local schools for their annual school day field trip game. The fans were in for a thrilling matchup between two of the top teams in the MASL in the battle for first place. 

The momentum was in the Milwaukee Wave’s favor from the start. The first-half barrage of scoring began with Mario Alvarez. The star defensive talent scored a power-play goal assisted by Andre Hayne, who held the ball from his defender to find Alvarez’s well-timed run. The veteran duo extended the lead, this time reversing the roles. Alvarez displayed a perfect example of his skillset, cleanly winning possession on the defensive side to find Hayne. Hayne’s composure in front of goal shone brightly as he took two touches in front of Comets goalkeeper Philip Ejimadu, first baiting him to the ground before finishing.

“[Alvarez] doesn't get too much on the blocking sheet because usually he doesn't let his men shoot… he's one of the best defenders in the league, if not the best,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. Alvarez is a unique style of defender in the MASL who leads with his technique to win the ball rather than simply blocking or clearing it. 

“You just gotta reward the guys, you know? 
Everybody's pressing high, everybody's working together, and to get that transition, I feel like other teams don't expect it,” Alvarez said.  He contributed to the Wave’s third goal by winning the ball in the midfield from a poor defensive distribution caused by Cesar Correa’s high pressure. Correa moved well off of the ball to open up the team’s offense and he assisted Michael Da Silva who scored his second goal of the season. Before the quarter closed, Rian Marques poked the ball from inside of the box to score his first goal and the first quarter came to a close at a scoreline of 3-1. 

“We had time to really prepare for this game, and I believe it showed,” Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave scored their first goal of the second quarter before the Comets had a chance to touch the ball. Just nine seconds after the kickoff, Alvarez assisted Oscar Flores’ run in behind the defense. 

“He is a leader in the group. A technical leader. not a guy that talks too much, but I think he shows up with his play,” Leite said, referring to Alvarez. Again, Hayne held the ball with his back to the goal and found Alvarez who scored his second goal of the game. When playing against a team who often looks to play through the physicality of their targets, Hayne provided an important presence to the Wave’s offense. The superstar duo of Alvarez and Alex “Saucy” Sanchez then connected on Alvarez’s third goal. Max Ferdinand followed Flores’ shot to score the final goal of the quarter and the Milwaukee Wave brought a dominant 7-1 lead into the second half. 

The Kansas City Comets showed signs of life in the third quarter. Kenosha native Zach Reget scored alongside Dominic Francis and the Wave lead was cut to four. Sanchez assisted Alvarez again for his fifth and final goal contribution of the afternoon. 

“I feel very welcome. The team, the staff, everybody—the players and the trainers—have welcomed me in, and it means a lot right now,” Flores said. The interview was conducted with the assistance of teammate Cesar Correa, who served as a translator. The Venezuelan rookie has shown an immediate understanding of the indoor game having contributed 11 goals and five assists with 11 matches left to play in his first season. Flores assisted Alex Steinwasher at the end of a controlled offensive possession, contributing the target’s third point to the match. 

The Milwaukee Wave led 4-9 when the Comets employed Reget as their sixth attacker. Sanchez was assisted by his Chicago area counterpart, Derek Huffman, between two Comets goals. The lead the Milwaukee Wave created early in the game was too much for Kansas City to overcome and they defended their home turf to a 10-6 victory. 

“Being consistent at home, winning the games…. We definitely need to take care of those,” Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave now hold the number one position in the MASL at the back of their three game winning streak. The regular season series between the Wave and the Comets ended with Milwaukee claiming three wins atop their historic conference rivals. 

The Milwaukee Wave face the Tacoma Stars at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington on Sunday, February 15 at 7:05pm CST. 

The Wave will play the Empire Strykers the following day at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California on Monday, February 16 at 2:05pm CST. ###