Needing to win twice on Saturday night, the Florida Tropics did just that to reach the Major Arena Soccer League final.
The Tropics defeated the Kansas City Comets at RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Fla., 4-2, in the regulation game and then 4-2 again in the 15-minute extra time match.
The Comets had won the first game of the series last week, 8-7.
Florida will play the winner of the San Diego Sockers-Chihuahua Savage semifinal series. Those two teams will meet Sunday night in San Diego.
In the extra time game, Ricardo De Queiroz Diegues scored twice (:35 and 4:45) for the Tropics and Victor Parreiras added a single tally (3:08) and Anthony Arico put the ball into the net against six attackers with one second remaining in the game. For the Comets, Rian Marques found the net two times (3:45 and 12:42)
In the 60-minute affair, Victor Parreiras (6:07) and Drew Ruggles (10:15) tallied in the opening quarter to give the hosts a 2-0 lead before KC countered behind Milos Vucic at 1:27 of the second period.
The Tropics pulled away in the third quarter as Ricardo Carvalho (12:03) and Breno Oliveira (4:44) scored to increase the margin to a 4-1. John Sosa made it interesting with a sixth attacker at 10:40.
Tropics goalkeeper Rainer Hauss was outstanding during the 60-minute match.
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