Kansas City
Oral Roberts
Harris Hat Trick Propels UMKC To 3-1 Win Over Oral Roberts
10/25/2008 4:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Kansas City, Mo. -- Brian Harris exploded for three goals on Senior Day as UMKC moved into second place in The Summit League standings with a 3-1 win over Oral Roberts. The hat trick marks the first time that two UMKC players recorded hat tricks in the same season.
Off the opening kickoff, Oral Roberts looked to have the better of the play, but the Kangaroos settled into the game and earned the first corner kick of the game in the fifth minute.
UMKC nearly opened the scoring at the close of the eighth minute, as Caleb Mitchell was put through to a 1-v-1 with Oral Roberts' Irving Peralta, but Mitchell's shot to the far post was poked out by a sliding Peralta and the Kangaroos were unable to regroup for another chance.
In the 12th minute, Harris would make no mistake opening the account for the Blue-and-Gold, collecting a through ball on the right wing from Garret Guthrie. After a pair of touches towards goal, he lofted the ball over a charging Peralta into the net for a 1-0 UMKC lead.
Just 20 seconds after the kickoff, UMKC forced a turnover and looked to double the score as Harris found Guthrie on the right edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately, Guthrie's low cross was cut out to defuse the threat.
UMKC continued to press the attack but would find themselves on level terms in the 30th minute through a bit of bad luck. Carlos Pinto's shot from the top corner of the penalty area found its way through a sea of bodies, when Ken Cooper screened from the shot was unable to react in time.
In the 34th minute, however, Harris would put the Kangaroos back on top in the 34th minute. Brian Perez played a nice through ball to Harris just left of the center of the field. Harris laced a shot over an extended Peralta from 20 yards out, catching the top corner of the goal.
In the 52nd minute, Levi Coleman created a great chance, shrugging off two ORU defenders to get open along the byline, but his shot was saved by Peralta.
Harris put the game out of reach in the 65th minute, again putting away a nice through ball from Perez. The Edwardsville, Ill., native timed his run to catch the ORU defense holding a high line, putting a hard shot low and to the left of a sliding Peralta. The ORU goalkeeper got a touch on the ball, but the momentum carried the ball into the net for the hat trick.
The Kangaroos almost added a fourth goal in the 78th minute, as a nice build up in the final third, with a dummy by Perez freeing Diego Rojas in the middle of the field, but the freshman's shot was blocked.
With the win, UMKC moves to 8-4-2 on the year and 3-1-0 in Summit League play, while Oral Roberts falls to 5-7-2 on the season and 2-1-1 in league action.
Cooper recorded his eighth win of the year as the Kangaroos picked up their ninth consecutive home win and 10th on the trot at Bourke Field. UMKC is set to close out its home schedule on Tuesday night, taking on Missouri State. Kick-off for the match is set for 7 p.m.
