Kansas City
Western Illinois
Kangaroos Oust Leathernecks 1-0 In Overtime; Advance To Sunday's Championship Match
11/14/2008 5:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Rochester, Mich. -- Of the nine saves sophomore netminder Ken Cooper recorded in UMKC's 1-0 semifinal game against Western Illinois, none would loom larger than a stop in the third minute of the first overtime stanza. Bryan Perez would hit paydirt in the 108th minute, striking for his 10th goal of the season in a 1-0 win for the Kangaroos. UMKC returns to the championship game for the first time since 2006 and the fifth time in program history.
The match kicked off with a frenetic pace, as both teams battled the rainy conditions. Brian Harris recorded a pair of shots in the opening 15 minutes, although both efforts were wide, while the Leathernecks found both of their chances in the opening quarter hour on frame, although easily handled by Cooper.
Cooper again prevailed in the 21st minute, as he found himself in a 1 v. 1 situation in the middle of the field, calmly turning the shot around the right post. He was tested twice more in the opening stanza, but the teams would go into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Having settled into the flow of the game, UMKC had the first real scoring chance of the second half, as Perez dribbled to the endline and turned to cross the ball. Sensing an opportunity, he chose to shoot instead, but the ball went just over the crossbar.
The Kangaroos had a great chance in the 72nd minute, as John Bayron Sosa's corner kick knuckled a bit as it was curling in on goal, but Western Illinois' Stephen Paterson was able to recover and punch the ball over the endline for a second corner. The Kangaroos were unfortunately not able to convert the second chance.
As the final quarter hour ticked away, the pace of the game picked up to the level it was at kickoff, with the teams running end-to-end looking to decide the contest in regulation. Harris almost did so, but his shot was parried away by Paterson for a corner kick.
Overtime started just as regulation ended, as UMKC looked to catch WIU off guard at the opening kickoff.
It would be WIU that would have the better chances in the first overtime, however, with three shots in the first two minutes and nine seconds. Great reflexes from the Kangaroo netminder kept the game alive in the 93rd minute, as WIU's Darryl Odom took a shot from the corner of the six-yard box. Cooper had lined the shot up, but it took a deflection off a Kangaroo defender, with Cooper able to react and palm the ball off the left post.
In the 97th minute, Miguel Rodrigues looked to seal the game, holding off a physical challenge from his defender as he dribbled into space. Unfortunately, his shot from 25 yards out went just wide.
Coop again came up big in the 99th minute, pressuring Odom on a 1 v. 1 and causing the WIU forward to lace the ball well over the crossbar.
Aside from a shot in the 104th minute for the Leathernecks, the Blue-and-Gold controlled the second overtime frame, with their patience paying dividends in the 108th minute. A WIU foul 20 yards from goal set up a dangerous free kick opportunity for UMKC. Brian Quintana - who played the majority of the second half for an injured Chris Markey - touched the ball to Perez who uncorked a low screamer that bulged the onion bag and sparked a jubilant celebration at midfield.
The Kangaroos move to 10-6-2 on the year, with Cooper recording his fifth shutout of the campaign, while Western Illinois ends the year with a 12-5-3 mark. On the stat sheet, two categories stood in stark contrast, as UMKC earned 10 corner kicks to just two for the Leathernecks while the Kangaroos were outshot 15-9 on the afternoon. The Blue-and-Gold will face regular-season champion and top seed Oakland in the championship match on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) with live stats (free) and streaming video (fee) available at the tournament website.
