The Milwaukee Wave needed a sudden-death mini-game to survive Chicago in the first round of the Major Arena Soccer League playoffs last weekend, and now they head to south to take on the undefeated Missouri Comets in a similar, survive and advance scenario tonight in the MASL Eastern Conference semi-final.

This is the first year of the new, MASL playoffs and the second round of the playoff bracket is different than the first, a one game, winner take all match where the winner advances to a two-game conference final.

While most coaches and players prefer to play series in the postseason, as the better team usually comes out on top, the Wave are embracing this change in schedule – namely because for the first time in a long time, they are the underdog.

"Since I’ve been here with the Wave, which is a long time, it’s always been that we’ve had the target on our backs," veteran goalkeeper Nick Vorberg said. "it’s a different feeling this year. I kind of like it. I think especially with this last game (against Chicago) I felt we played more like a team through the course of the entire 60-plus overtime minutes, sticking together on the bench, the way we played, player for player, I feel really good going into this game."

In the old Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) the Wave were always a favorite – if not the favorite – but last year the Comets not only knocked the Wave out of the playoffs, but went on to win the last championship in MISL history.

"Nothing to lose, everything to gain, definitely – that’s in our mindset," Wave head coach Giuliano Oliviero said. "It’s been awhile since we haven’t been the favorite. You know what, we’re just going to go in there, put our best foot forward and and I think we’re prepared."

This year, the Comets have continued their run of success in the new league, marching to a 20-0 mark, including a 9-7 win over Milwaukee on Nov. 5 at the Independence Events Center in Missouri and an 8-7 victory over the Wave at the UWM Panther Arena on Dec. 31.

"We just wanted the chance to play ‘em and try and really test ‘em and see what they really have," said Wave midfielder Ian Bennett. "They’re definitely good, but we definitely we think we can take ‘em. It’s definitely going to be an awesome game. It’s going to be the best indoor game of the season, I think."

But, aside from another one-point victory over Monterrey in late January, the Comets haven’t really been challenged.

And, thanks to their first place finish in the Central Division, they haven’t played since Feb. 22.

"I know the Comets are going to be ready, I know they’re at home, I know they have great fan support, but they haven’t played since Feb. 22, and as a player I’ve been there," Oliviero said. "I know that it’s really tough to replicate game situations at practice. So, we kind of put that in our back pocket as well, we’re the team rolling."

It’s a combination of factors that have the Wave feeling confident they can pull off an upset tonight.

Another element to that confidence was the return of Vorberg and Bennett in that Chicago series, two veterans who entered the first round series against Chicago as questionable due to a variety of injuries. Vorberg didn’t play in the game 1 loss last series, but helped lift the team to a back-to-back wins on Saturday.

"To their credit they’re really good professionals, they’re good role models for the younger players, true professionals to really just put the extra time and effort in to give themselves the best shot at success on the field," Oliviero said. "They were both injured and banged up and they worked tirelessly off the field and they did what they could on the field to be a close to 100 percent as the could for the most important time of the year, which is the playoffs."

And Bennett, the league’s 15th-leading scorer, rallied to score the series-winning goal in the mini-game.

"It’s always good to get banged up and win than getting banged up and lose – you’ll take that any day," Bennett said. "It’s been a tough two weeks, especially for Nick and I. I think we lived with the trainers. It’s been kind of frustrating sometimes, but you just gotta do it and keep going day by day."

Bennett and Vorberg credited the team training staff for getting them back on the field for the first round, and while they both are still trying to recover – the pair watched the rest of the team scrimmage at the end of Monday’s practice at the UWM Panther Arena – they feel as good as they can as they head into the semi-final.

"It’s special for all of us, coming in where they’re the guys, they’re the ones that won the championship, they’re 20-0," Vorberg said with a smile. "It’s going to be a different feel going into it and it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of fun."