Wisconsin Soccer Central

The Milwaukee Wave just didn't have an answer for Leo Gibson on Friday night.

The 5-foot-6 Gibson was a giant problem for the Wave, as he scored five goals and added an assist as the top-seeded Missouri Comets doubled up host Milwaukee 10-5 in Game 1 of the Major Arena Soccer League Central Division finals in front of a crowd of 2,717 at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

The third-seeded Wave (15-9) must win Game 2 of the series at 5:05 p.m. Sunday in Independence, Mo., then win the Game 3 mini-game tiebreaker immediately after to keep their season alive and advance to the MASL semifinals.

Defender Sean Totsch gave Milwaukee the lead with a power-play goal 4:05 into Game 1, but Gibson got the visitors on the board at the 7:38 mark, Ramone Palmer gave them the lead 62 seconds later and the Comets (18-3) never looked back in their first game since Feb. 27.

Missouri, which has eliminated the Wave from the postseason each of the past three years, raced out to a 5-1 lead before Milwaukee's leading scorer Ian Bennett scored twice in less than 4 minutes to make it a two-goal deficit at halftime. But goalkeeper Boris Pardo (13 saves) and the Comets never let the Wave get any closer.

Bennett finished off his hat trick in the third quarter, giving him 43 goals in 24 games overall this season, and Hans Denissen added his third goal in four playoff matches – the veteran Dutch striker had just one goal in 10 regular-season games in his first indoor season.

The Central Division champion will face the Eastern Division winner in the MASL semifinals; the Baltimore Blast outlasted the Syracuse Silver Knights 6-5 in triple overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern finals Friday night.

• Totsch was an honorable mention selection on the 2015-16 All-MASL Rookie Team announced Friday, as was Cedar Rapids Rampage defender Alex Tozer (Whitefish Bay Dominican). Totsch tied for 10th in the league among defenders with 11 goals and added five assists in 15 matches for Milwaukee, ranking fourth on the team in points during the regular season. Tozer, the son of legendary Wave coach Keith Tozer, had two goals in 19 appearances for the expansion Rampage this season.