Kansas City
Loyola Chicago
Kangaroos Control Second Half To Win 3-1 Over Loyola
9/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Kansas City -- The second game of the UMKC/Mr. Goodcents Brookside Invitational opened in stark contrast to the first match of the day, as Loyola Chicago pressed with frenetic pace throughout the first half, but UMKC was able to come out on top by a 3-1 scoreline.
The Ramblers came out hungry to start the game, nearly striking in the sixth minute as Keum Sung Kim's shot from the top of the box was blocked.
Less than a minute later, UMKC would have the opportunity to open the scoring, as Loyola's goalkeeper Brian Byrne took down Brian Harris inside the penalty area after the netminder was beaten. Sophomore Bryan Perez stepped confidently to the spot and buried his effort, the third consecutive penalty-kick goal for the Kangaroos this season and the 17th in a streak dating back to the 2003 season.
Loyola would continue to keep up the pressure, however, and UMKC would eventually buckle. The Ramblers equalized in the 26th minute as Michael Ferguson raced past two Kangaroo defenders and laced a low effort past Brandon Amaya.
The visitors kept forcing the pace of the game and UMKC was lucky to go into the half knotted at one.
Coming out of the break, however, the Kangaroos would take control of the game. The Blue-and-Gold seemed to finally find the answer for Loyola's pressure, retaking the lead in the 51st minute. Garret Guthrie found himself on the end of a corner kick by John Bayron Sosa and poked the ball into the net for a 2-1 margin.
The Kangaroos would double their lead a scant two minutes later. Guthrie was again involved, sending a ball into a waiting Miguel Rodrigues. The junior hit a solid effort that was saved by Byrne, but the ball popped loose and Rodrigues blasted the ball from the top of the six-yard box. A Loyola defender attempted to head the ball over the crossbar from just inside the goal, but the momentum of the shot just sent the header into the top of the net.
The Kangaroos had several dangerous chances throughout the second half and this time it was Loyola that counted themselves lucky not to yield at least two additional goals.
With the win, UMKC moves to 3-0-0 on the season. This marks the first time in school history that a Kangaroo team has opened the campaign with three straight wins.
The shot margin was reflective of the game, with UMKC holding a 16-15 overall edge, but the Kangaroos were more accurate, with 10 efforts on target to just six for the visitors. Amaya came up with five saves on the night to pick up his third win of the year.
UMKC is back in action on Sunday, closing out the tournament with a game against Eastern Illinois at 2 p.m. The Kangaroos can guarantee themselves a tournament win with a win or a draw, while only a three-goal win by Oral Roberts will see the Kangaroos finish lower than second.
