Indoor soccer: Tropics beat Comets, move to 2nd place
INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI ― It took a game-winning goal from defender Mike Jones and a team-record 38 blocked shots for the Florida Tropics to make some headway in the Major Arena Soccer League’s East Division.
These two developments helped the area MASL soccer team win 6-5 over the Kansas City Comets Saturday on the road. The game was secured thanks to an exceptional pass from captain Victor Parreiras, who finally returned to the lineup after more than a two-month absence.
Parreiras, though, needed to make the pass to Jones even after the Tropics were up 5-1 heading into the fourth, as the Comets rallied with two late sixth-attacker goals on 19 shots over the final 15 minutes.
But with Jones goal, the Tropics (10-7-3) passed the Baltimore Blast for second in the division with 33 points. The Blast didn’t budge with 32 points after going down at home to Utica Saturday, 6-4. Kansas City (9-8-4) dropped to fifth in the division, which is one point behind Utica at 30 points. The Comets now have 29 points.
Statistically, the odds were against Florida, as the local indoor professional soccer team was outshot 58-42, eviscerating the former record of shots on goal in a game by an opponent, which was 44 by the St. Louis Ambush last January.
More:Indoor soccer: Tropics fall to Utica City
But the game is played on the field, not by numbers. Florida responded by blocking 38 shots in the game, which surpassed the old mark of 24 — a record set last month in a home win vs. Kansas City.
“Just a dedication to team defense and great perseverance. Those were the differences tonight,” Florida head coach Clay Roberts said. “It’s really tough to win on the road in the league, so to come in here and get three points is a reward for being disciplined for most of the game and taking advantage of opportunity.”
Right now, Milwaukee leads the east by just four points over Florida. The Wave, Tropics, and Blast have all competed one less game than Utica and Kansas City.
Defender Rafa Alves set a team record 10 blocks, including taking a first-half shot off the goal line, while defender Drew Ruggles racked up seven. Winning goalkeeper Jorge Navarrete out of Southeastern put up 16 saves.
Although the Tropics were outshot 25-6 at the half, Florida managed a 2-0 lead heading into intermission thanks to goals by forward Ricardo Diegues and midfielder Julio Varela. This helped stretch the lead to 5-2 on a pair of goals from Diegues and a second from Varela before the end of the third.
Florida’s next game will be vs. St. Louis 4:05 p.m. Sunday on the road.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Tropics move into 2nd place
