Kansas City
Missouri State
Harris' 11th Of The Season Gives Kangaroos 1-0 Win Over Missouri State
10/28/2008 10:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Kansas City, Mo. -- As the temperatures cooled on Tuesday night, the pace of the match picked up, with Brian Harris' 11th goal of the year providing enough heat to propel the UMKC men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Missouri State and preserve a perfect 7-0 home record on the 2008 slate - the first time in program history that a team has gone undefeated at home.
Much of the opening 15 minutes was contested in the midfield, with neither team able to create a great chance in the opening 10.
Caleb Mitchell had a hand in the first half-chance for the Kangaroos, coming in the third minute. With a deft nod, Mitchell flicked on a cross, but Harris wasn't able to cleanly control the ball and the Missouri State defense cleared it out of danger.
Missouri State recorded a pair of shots in the opening quarter-hour, but they were well wide of the mark.
Mitchell nearly put the Kangaroos up in the 22nd minute, as Harris put his body in front of an attempted clearance at the top of the penalty area. The ball fell to Mitchell's feet but Missouri State's goalkeeper was well positioned to make the save, cutting out Mitchell's first effort. On the clearance, the ball again found its way to Mitchell's feet, but his shot was cleared off the line by a Bear defender.
In the 33rd minute, Missouri State nearly found itself up 1-0 as Chris Markey's clearance went a bit errant, but Levi Coleman was able to recover and shepherd the ball out for a goal kick.
The Kangaroos came out of the locker room in the second half with a much-improved pace to the game, but wasted its best opportunity of the opening moments in the 53rd minute, opting for a quick restart as Missouri State's Johannes DeMarzi was booked. The free kick sailed harmlessly over the endline.
Missouri State attempted to seize the momentum, but was unable to record its first shot on goal until the 74th minute, an effort easily saved by Ken Cooper.
A sublime give-and-go between Harris and Diego Rojas would put the Kangaroos on top in the 76th minute. Harris collected a long pass, nodding the ball to the freshman inside the box. With a deft flick over the defense by Rojas, Harris was able to lace the ball into the left side netting.
The flow of the game intensified, as Missouri State looked for the equalizer, but UMKC was able to hold on for its ninth win of the year and 10th straight home win.
Cooper made three saves en route to his fourth shutout of the year, with the teams finishing with 11 shots each. Missouri State was whistled for 18 fouls on the night to 10 for UMKC, with the Kangaroos holding a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
UMKC hits the road on Saturday, returning to Summit League action with a match against Centenary. The game is set for a 1 p.m. kickoff from Shreveport, La.
