Kansas City Comets smash St. Louis in front of record crowd at Cable Dahmer Arena

The Kansas City Comets defeated the St. Louis Ambush 7-2 on Sunday, December 3, in front of 6,159 fans, setting a record for the largest crowd at Cable Dahmer Arena in franchise history.

After leading the MASL in average attendance last season, the Comets have now broken a 10-year-old record of 5,893 fans who saw a match in November 2013, when the facility was known as Independence Events Center. Sunday’s game now stands as the team’s second-largest crowd ever, only behind a matchup at then-Sprint Center in 2012 that drew 8,276.

“It’s really incredible,” said Chad Vandegriffe, a former MASL Defender of the Year who made his Comets debut on Sunday. “That was one of the main factors why I really wanted to come here. It’s Soccer City; people love the Comets. It makes you want to work hard at practice because you have so many supporters.”

After beating the Milwaukee Wave 9-3 last week, the sellout crowd on Sunday was treated to another big rivalry win. The Comets took a 4-0 lead into halftime before adding three goals in the second half to make it 7-0 in the fourth quarter.

The Ambush avoided the shutout as the visitors tallied a pair of consolation goals in the final period to make it 7-2. Failing to complete the shutout irritated first-year head coach Stefan Stokic.

“I don’t even feel like celebrating the game,” Stokic said. “That would have been a huge statement. It just shows that we still have to work on some things. My speech with the boys was (about how) I’m proud of the great win, but I’m mad that we couldn’t keep the shutout.”

Goalkeeper Nicolau Neto earned his second straight win with 15 saves. Rian Marques put out a three-point performance with a goal and two assists while Ray Lee scored twice.

The Comets are now 2-0 this season with the fewest goals conceded in the Eastern Conference. Between the end of the previous week’s 9-3 win over Milwaukee and Sunday’s win, the Comets played five quarters without conceding a goal. Vandegriffe, who recorded two blocks and his first assist as a Comet, is happy with the trajectory of his new team.

“We’re confident but not overconfident,” he said. “Each week we celebrate the win and then move on and focus on the next opponent. We’re doing a great job with transition and possession to show quality offensively and defensively.”

The Comets will now prepare for their first road test of the season. They visit the Harrisburg Heat on Saturday, December 9. They return home on Sunday, December 17, to play the Texas Outlaws.