Kangaroos Close Out Regular Season With Possible Postseason Preview Against Oakland
11/9/2007 3:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The UMKC men's soccer team closes out the regular season this weekend, hosting Oakland in a match that could serve as a preview of the first round matchup for the Kangaroos in The Summit League Championships. Oakland has already clinched a share of the regular-season Summit League title as well as the top seed in the postseason tournament, with UMKC standing in control of its own playoff destiny. The match is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Bourke Field. UMKC will recognize its five seniors at halftime of the game as well.
About The Golden Grizzlies
Currently ranked no. 9 in the NSCAA/adidas Midwest Regional Rankings, Oakland has had a solid season under head coach Gary Parsons. Currently in his 27th year at the reins, Parsons has guided the Golden Grizzlies to a perfect 5-0-0 record in league action and a 9-6-2 overall mark.
Offensively, the Golden Grizzlies have been potent this year, scoring 27 goals. Piotr Nowak leads the team with 15 points (3 g, 9 a), while top goal-scorer Sebastian Harris has six tallies on the campaign, good for third in the league. Three other players have struck for three goals or more on the season as well.
It is on the defensive side of the ledger where Oakland has been best, however, as Steve Clark has recorded clean sheets in all five Summit League contests for Oakland. The netminder has compiled an overall goals-against average of 1.05 on the year, with a save percentage of .788 on the season.
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
Hosting a match at Bourke Field for the
first time after a four-game absence, the Kangaroos struck for three
goals before halftime on Saturday as they cruised to a 3-0 win over
Centenary.
UMKC opened the scoring in the fifth minute, as
Centenary was whistled for a foul just off the top of the box. John
Bayron Sosa rocketed a kick into the Gents wall then curled his own
rebound through the wall and into the net.
The Blue-and-Gold
nearly doubled its lead in the 23rd minute. Sosa found Bryan Perez
running through the middle, who flicked the ball on to a streaking
Brian Harris. James Speed was able to make a kick save on the shot from
Harris.
Garret Guthrie would make no mistake in the 27th to give UMKC a 2-0 lead, as he nodded home a cross from Richard Harris.
Centenary
almost pulled one back in the 28th minute, as Zac Farrar struck a low,
hard effort to the left of Ken Cooper. Cooper pushed the ball wide and
the Centenary attacker was whistled offside before he could make an
attempt on the loose ball.
Richard Harris would have a hand in
the third UMKC goal as well, whipping a low cross into the box and
finding Kyle Perkins. Perkins made an easy touch into the open net in
the 36th minute.
The second half was uneventful until the final
five minutes, when Josh White was whistled for a foul in the penalty
area. Aaron Volanski stepped to the spot, but sailed his effort well
over the crossbar.
UMKC moves to 7-7-3 (2-2-1 Summit) with the
win. Cooper recorded four saves en route to the shutout, and the
Kangaroos outshot Centenary by a 12-7 margin.
Championship Scenarios
For the first time in recent history, the host of The Summit League Championships will actually be a participant, as IUPUI locked up the second seed last week with a win over Oral Roberts. Oakland has already wrapped up its share of the regular season title, along with the number one seed in the tournament. And although UMKC still controls its own destiny in the three-team scuffle for the final two spots, the Kangaroos' fate could be decided before they hit the field on Saturday. Western Illinois and Oral Roberts are set to tangle in Tulsa, Okla., on Friday night, with Oral Roberts needing a win or tie to remain in contention for the final spot. With a loss or tie for WIU, a UMKC draw sets up a first-round rematch against Oakland while a win sends the Kangaroos through to take on IUPUI. If Western Illinois is victorious, UMKC will face Oakland in the first round of the postseason tournament regardless of Saturday's result.
Throughout its membership in The Summit League (nee the Mid-Continent Conference) UMKC has missed the postseason just once. The Kangaroos were spectators as they hosted the 2005 tournament. UMKC is 4-10-3 all time, advancing on penalty kicks each of the three times the match has ended in a draw.
Fair Play Please...
While playing tenacious defense so far on the 2007 campaign, the Kangaroos have also been very well-behaved. UMKC has been whistled for just 224 breaches, with opponents whistled for 274. Just 23 cautions and one red card have been issued to players from the Blue-and-Gold. By contrast, the Kangaroos' opponents have gone in the referee's book 32 times, with two players receiving red cards for second cautionable offenses and one player receiving a direct red card.
UMKC's caution total is the second lowest in the league, behind only IUPUI with 21.
Split Decisions
Ties are not altogether uncommon in soccer, although the overtime rules associated with the NCAA game make them slightly less frequent. Despite all of that, the match against Western Illinois marked the first time that UMKC had battled to a draw in league play during Rick Benben's tenure as head coach and only the second time in program history.
The previous draw also came at home, as the Kangaroos ended their Oct. 6, 1996 match against Northeastern Illinois in a 2-2 deadlock.
To The Byline
One of the harbingers of offensive possession is the number of corner kicks generated. On the 2007 campaign, UMKC leads the league in corner kicks with 73 on the campaign, besting IUPUI's 70 and Western Illinois 68.
Taking into account only conference games, UMKC holds an even healthier advantage, with 27, six better than nearest foe Oral Roberts.
Student Comes First
It's that time of year again, as CoSIDA and the NSCAA open the nominations for the academic accolades, which recognize those student-athletes who have excelled both on the pitch and in the classroom. UMKC has four nominees this season, two of whom are seeking repeat accolades. All four nominees were selected as ESPN/CoSIDA District 7 Academic All-Americans, and will move on to the national ballot.
Garret Guthrie was recognized as a CoSIDA District 7 Academic All-American last year and has only improved this year. Guthrie has three goals for the Blue-and-Gold - including two game-winners - on the season.
Ali Dorri was recognized as an NSCAA Midwest Region Scholar All-America selection in 2006 and has tallied twice this year while starting every match in the Kangaroo backline.
UMKC's remaining two nominees are Richard Harris and Miguel Rodrigues, both of whom are in their first year of eligibility for the award after transferring prior to the 2006 season. Harris returns home to the Blue-and-Gold from Marquette, while Rodrigues played one season for Stetson.
Sosa Named The Summit League Offensive Player Of The Week
On the strength of his two-goal performance last week, John Bayron Sosa became the fourth Kangaroo to be honored as a league player of the week this season. Sosa converted a pair of free kick opportunities for his goals, scoring in UMKC's midweek game at Missouri State and striking the game winner against Centenary.
Guthrie Named The Summit League Offensive Player Of The Week (Again...)
Junior Garret Guthrie
picked up his second Offensive Player of the Week accolade in the span
of three weeks after scoring twice in UMKC's 2-1 win at Central
Arkansas. The Wichita, Kan., native beat out Centenary's Aaron Volanski
? who scored a hat trick ? on the strength of his second game-winning
goal of the season.
Guthrie Named The Summit League Offensive Player Of The Week
After being involved in two of the three goals scored by UMKC in the UMKC/Mr. Goodcents Brookside Invitational - tallying the game winner against Loyola Chicago and setting up Miguel Rodrigues' unassisted strike - junior Garret Guthrie was chosen as The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for the second week of the season.
Amaya Named The Summit League Defensive Player Of The Week
On the strength of two solid performances in the opening weekend's action, Brandon Amaya was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week. The Edmond, Okla., native picked up his first weekly accolade after posting a 0.50 goals-against average and earning his first collegiate shutout. He compiled a save percentage of .923, facing 13 shots on goal.
The honor is the first for a Kangaroo goalkeeper since Todd Dohlman was honored three times (Sept. 6, Sept. 26, Oct. 3) during the 2005 season.
Summit League Players Of The Week
Week 1: Brandon Amaya (Defensive)
Week 2: Garret Guthrie (Offensive)
Week 4: Garret Guthrie (Offensive)
Week 10: John Bayron Sosa (Offensive)
2007 All-Tournament Team Honorees
UMKC/Mr. Goodcents Brookside Invitational: Garret Guthrie, Bryan Perez, John David Hernandez
NIU-adidas/Baymont Inn Invitational: Ali Dorri, Bryan Perez
Making History
Through its first five games, the UMKC men's soccer team posted a 3-1-1 record, marking the first time in school history that a team had started the season with three consecutive wins. It was only the third time that a team had posted three wins in its first five matches as well, with the 1994 and 1999 teams establishing that feat.
Scoring First
The Summit League-opening win at IPFW marked the first time that UMKC battled back for a win after conceding the first goal in a match on the 2007 campaign. The Kangaroos have made a habit this season of earning wins by scoring first. In the eight games that have seen UMKC score first, the squad holds an undefeated 6-0-2 record. In games where the Blue-and-Gold have conceded the first strike, UMKC is just 1-7-0. The Kangaroos also have one match that ended in a 0-0 draw.
Kangaroos In Conference Openers
The win over IPFW was the sixth win in a conference opener during head coach Rick Benben's tenure. Overall, the Kangaroos are 9-5-0 in matches to open league play.
Spot On
The Kangaroos continue to be deadly accurate from the penalty spot this season. Fully half of UMKC's tallies this season have come from the spot, including three consecutive goals (two against FIU in addition to the opener against Loyola) from the run of play. The Kangaroos have not missed a penalty in 13 straight opportunities from the spot during the run of play dating back to the 2003 season. The streak runs to 17 when you include the 2006 Mid-Con Tournament shootout against Oral Roberts.
In 2006, Ryan Kaufman bagged five successful spot kicks, with 2007 returnees Perez and Richard Harris tallying once each as UMKC connected on each of its eight trips to the spot.
On the flip side, UMKC's opponents were successful on just half of their attempts (5-of-10) last season. Junior Brandon Amaya made correct reads on four of the five attempts he faced in 2006, including the decisive stop against Oral Roberts. The Kangaroos yielded their first penalty kick of the season in the 4-1 loss at IUPUI. The Kangaroos are still holding a 50 percent pace on the season, however, as Centenary's Aaron Volanski skied his effort in the 85th minute of UMKC's 3-0 win.
Kangaroos Picked Fifth In Preseason Summit League Poll
For the second straight season, UMKC was predicted to finish fifth in the Summit League in the preseason coaches poll, with one coach picking the Kangaroos to win the league regular-season title. Despite losing eight seniors, Western Illinois picked up five first-place nods to repeat as the preseason favorites. 2006 Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year Martin Brown and 2006 Mid-Con Defensive Player of the Year Stephan Paterson both return for the Leathernecks.
Oral Roberts took the steady route to second spot in the preseason table, failing to record a single first-place vote but earning 27 points. Oakland was ranked third, recording the final first-place vote, while IUPUI was tabbed fourth. League newcomers IPFW took sixth slot, with Centenary rounding out the table.
Summit League Preseason Poll
1. Western Illinois - 35 (5) -- 15-8-0 (5-1-0)
2. Oral Roberts - 27 -- 6-8-4 (2-4-0)
3. Oakland - 25 (1) -- 5-12-1 (2-4-0)
4. IUPUI - 23 -- 8-11-0 (3-3-0)
5. UMKC - 19 (1) -- 5-13-2 (4-2-0)
6. IPFW - 10 -- 2-15-1 (N/A)
7. Centenary - 8 -- 5-11-0 (2-4-0)
New (Temporary) Home
During the 2007 season, UMKC will play all of its home matches at Bourke Field on the campus of Rockhurst University. With the additional amenities provided at Bourke Field, the decision was made to play the entire 2007 season at this temporary home.
Head Coach Rick Benben
Entering his tenth season at the helm, Rick Benben is the most successful soccer coach in UMKC history, having guided the Kangaroos to two NCAA tournament appearances, notching an overtime win (2-1) over UW-Milwaukee in the 2001 tournament. A three-year letterwinner at goalkeeper for SIU-Edwardsville and former head coach of the Kansas City Comets in the MISL, Benben has compiled a career record of 72-95-15 for a .440 winning percentage. In The Summit League, he holds a .544 winning percentage with a record of 29-24-1.
Brass Section
Over the summer, three UMKC players saw considerable action with the Kansas City Brass of the USL Professional Development League. Seniors Josh White and Ali Dorri, along with junior Garret Guthrie saw action in more than half of the Brass' games on the year, with White and Guthrie each tallying three goals. The Brass stumbled to a third-place finish in the Heartland Division, finishing with an 8-3-5 record after breaking out of the gates with five wins and two draws in the squad's first seven league games.
Dorri and White were instrumental in the Brass' qualification for the knockout rounds of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, helping the team to a perfect 4-0 record during the first four games of league play. Dorri was named to the PDL Team of the Week for week five (week ending May 20) after helping the Brass to a 3-1 win over the Des Moines Menace in the season opener for both sides. White earned PDL Player of the Week honors seven days later, after scoring game-winning goals for the Brass in both the third and fourth matches for the team.
Invasion Alert
Miguel Rodrigues also saw action in the PDL over the summer, tallying eight appearances with the Indiana Invaders. Rodrigues played 251 minutes for the squad, who finished fifth in the Great Lakes Division, putting together a 5-9-2 league mark.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Folks familiar with the history of the UMKC soccer program will have a bout of deja vu to watch for this season, as three players on the 2007 squad are following in the footsteps of older brothers.
Senior Kyle Perkins' older brother Drew was a standout for the Kangaroos, sitting atop the all-time goalscoring table with 21.
Junior Oran Andrews follows older brother Shawn Andrews, who had a solid career despite struggling with injuries during his senior campaign.
Incoming transfer Colin Kuster rounds out the band of brothers, as his older brother, Erik, played one season for the Kangaroos. The elder Kuster was a stalwart on the offensive end for the Blue-and-Gold in 1999, leading the squad with nine goals, six assists, 24 points and 63 shots on the year, en route to a first team all-Mid-Con selection.
Reaching For New Heights
The 2007 season marks the first for The Summit League, formerly known as the Mid-Continent Conference. The name change is part of an initiative launched to improve the welfare of the student-athletes at the respective member institutions. Announced in May 2007 by the Mid-Con Presidents Council, the Summit Plan is a strategic plan that places a renewed emphasis on improving the academic and athletic performances of all its student-athletes.
In addition to the name change, three new schools join the league for the 2007-08 academic year: North Dakota State, South Dakota State and IPFW. Of these, IPFW is the only school to sponsor men's soccer, leaving the league set with seven competing schools.
