'Roos & Pioneers To Meet On Saturday Night In Denver

10/9/2009 10:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

By: UMKC Athletics

UMKC at Denver
Oct. 10, 2009 - 8 p.m.
Denver Soccer Stadium
Denver, Colo.

The Setting - The UMKC men's soccer team will hit the road for four straight games beginning with a match-up at Denver on Saturday night. The 'Roos and Pioneers will square off at Denver Soccer Stadium at 8 p.m. (CT) in a battle of 2008 NCAA Tournament qualifiers.

Follow The Action Online - Fans can follow the action live with live stats on UMKCKangaroos.com. Click on the Multimedia tab at the top of the page and proceed to the live stats link. The link can also be found on the men's soccer schedule page.

Scouting Denver - The Pioneers enter Saturday's game with a 3-4-2 overall record after dropping a 4-2 decision at Tulsa on Oct. 3. The loss came on the heels of a tight 1-0 loss at Missouri State on Oct. 1.
    Denver is led by Alex Tarnoczi, who is leading the team with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Jarod Stigall and Collin Audley, meanwhile, have both tallied a pair of strikes on the year. In goal, Joe Willis has seen nearly all the action for the Pioneers, where he has posted a 1.40 goals against average with 39 saves. Willis has also recorded a pair of shutouts on the year in draws with Washington and Cal State-Northridge.

The Series - The Pioneers have won the last four meetings in the series to push their advantage to 5-1-0 all-time. UMKC's lone victory over Denver came during the 1999 season when the 'Roos claimed a 3-1 win. Saturday's match-up is also the first in the series since 2003.

Last Match - The Kangaroos picked up their first Summit League victory of the season when they topped Western Illinois in double overtime on Oct. 3. Senior Bryan Perez notched the game-winner for UMKC in the 106th minute to give his squad the 1-0 victory.

Perez Becomes UMKC School Record Holder - Senior Bryan Perez notched UMKC's game-winning goal in the 106th minute in the victory over Western Illinois on Oct. 3. The goal was Perez's 22nd career strike, which puts him atop the school record books for career goals.

Perez/Sarabia Tied For League Lead In Goals - Senior Bryan Perez and freshman David Sarabia are tied for The Summit League lead with four goals in 2009. Perez is also tied for the league lead with nine points on the season. As a team, the 'Roos lead the league with 12 goals and 34 points in nine games.

Perez Becomes Latest 'Roo To Earn Summit League Player of the Week Honors - Senior Bryan Perez became the third men's soccer player to earn Summit League Player of the Week honors when he received the accolade on Oct. 5. The Miami, Fla., native was selected as the Offensive POW after netting the game-winning goal in the 1-0 double overtime win over Western Illinois. The goal put Perez atop the UMKC record books for career strikes.
    Freshman David Sarabia received the first honor when he was selected as the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14 after being named the MVP of the UAB “Soccer For A Cure” Classic. The forward netted a hat trick in UMKC's 3-1 win over Memphis at the tournament, becoming the first freshman, youngest player and just the seventh 'Roo to accomplish the feat.
    Junior Ken Cooper became the second 'Roo to earn a league honor, as he was selected as Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 21. The St. Louis, Mo., native notched his first shutout of the season over No. 23 Drake and he finished with a 1-1 record at the Holiday Inn at the Plaza UMKC Invitational with 19 saves, a .950 saves percentage and a 0.46 goals against average.

Butler Nets Third Career Strike - Sophomore Sean Butler became the fifth different UMKC player to score a goal this season when he netted the team's first strike on Sept. 30 at Saint Louis. It was Butler's third career goal, as he found the back of the net in a pair of games as a true freshman.

Coop Notches Third Shutout - Junior Ken Cooper recorded his third shutout of the season in leading the 'Roos to a 1-0 win over WIU on Oct. 3. Since the middle of September, Cooper has been a steady performer for the team in goal. All three of his shutouts have come over the past five games, where he has 32 saves and a 0.72 goals against average.
    During the 1-0 loss to Loyola Chicago, Cooper made a career-high 11 saves. It was the first time in his collegiate career that he reached double digits in saves and the figure was tied for the sixth most in a single match in school history.

Three Hat Tricks In One Calendar Year - UMKC tallied its third hat trick in the last calendar year when David Sarabia accomplished the feat in the 3-1 win over Memphis on Sept. 11. Sarabia joins current teammate Bryan Perez in the hat trick club, as Perez netted three goals in the 4-3 win over Drake on Sept. 30, 2008. Former 'Roo Brian Harris, meanwhile, scored his “HT” on Oct. 25, 2008, in the victory over Oral Roberts.

Bend It Like Markey? - Junior Chris Markey scored his first goal of the season and his third career strike in the 3-0 win over No. 23 Drake on Sept. 20. The Birmingham, Ala., native struck his shot from 25-yards out, where it bent into the upper right corner of the net to give the 'Roos the 1-0 lead. The goal was also Markey's second career game-winning score.

UMKC In The NCAA Statistics (Oct. 5)

Individuals
Cooper - Save percentage - 80th - 0.785
Perez - Goals per game - 86th - 0.44

Team
Save percentage - 76th - 0.785
Scoring offense - 87th - 1.33
Shutout percentage - 88th - 0.33

'Roos Atop League Statistical Standings - UMKC ranks among the top-two in five offensive categories this season. The squad is first in goals (12), goals per game (1.33) and points (34), while ranking second in assists (10) and assists per game (1.11). Defensively, the 'Roos are tied for second in the league with three shutouts on the season.
    Individually, Bryan Perez and David Sarabia are tied for first and third, respectively, with nine and eight points. Sarabia is leading the league with 1.60 points per game, while Perez is tied for second with 1.00 per game. The duo is also tied for the high water mark in goals (4), and Sarabia is leading the league with 0.80 goals per game. Jimmy Simon, meanwhile, is tied for the league-high with three assists.

Sosa Third In Career Assists - Junior John Bayron Sosa tallied his second assist of the season in the 3-1 loss at Missouri State. The midfielder assisted on Bryan Perez's strike to move him into third place in the UMKC record books for career assists. The St. Cloud, Fla., native has 12 assists in Blue and Gold.

'Roos Claim Team Title At UAB “Soccer For A Cure” Classic - UMKC was crowned the team champion of the UAB “Soccer For A Cure” Classic based on final goal differential as all four teams in the field finished with 1-1 records. Freshman David Sarabia was named the MVP of the tournament, while teammates Jimmy Simon, Bryan Perez and Chris Markey joined him on the all-tournament team.
    On Sept. 20, the 'Roos finished as the runner-up at the Holiday Inn at the Plaza UMKC Invitational after finishing with a 1-1 overall record. Chris Markey, Bryan Perez and Ken Cooper were all named to the all-tournament team.

'Roos Picked As Preseason Summit League Favorites - Defending Summit League champion UMKC has been picked as the preseason favorite in a vote of the league's head coaches. The 'Roos received four of the seven first place votes en route to 34 points. Oakland received the three other first place tallies to finish second in the voting with 31 points.

WOW! What A Crowd - The 'Roos played in front of a school record crowd of 1,241 fans on Aug. 23 at Durwood Soccer Stadium & Recreational Field. The total is the largest crowd to watch a home match in school history and is believed to be one of the top-10 largest home crowds in Summit League history.

Championship Soccer - UMKC earned its third NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008 after winning The Summit League Tournament as the No. 3 seed.   The 'Roos have won three Summit League regular season titles (1999, 2001, 2003) and three league tournament crowns (2001, 2003, 2008), all of which led to NCAA Tournament appearances.

Mr. Versatility - After making three appearances in goal during the exhibition season, freshman David Sarabia made his official collegiate debut in a different role on Sept. 5 at Missouri State. The Miami, Fla., native got the start at the forward position. The move didn't come out of the blue, as Sarabia was a prolific goal scorer as a prep, as he holds the Florida Christian High School record with 30 career strikes.

Perez Returns For Senior Season - Senior Bryan Perez returns to lead the 'Roos after earning NSCAA Second Team all-Region honors in 2008. It was his second all-region accolade, as he was a third team selection as a sophomore in 2007.
    Perez, who is the top returning goal and point scorer in The Summit League, finished the 2008 campaign with 10 goals and a total of 26 points. The 10 goals were the fifth most in a single season in school history, while the 26 points were second most all-time.

A Stout Defense - The Kangaroos return four players that saw extensive playing time in '08 to hold down the defender position. Senior John David Hernandez along with juniors Matt Kopsky, Brian Quintana and Chris Markey all return as upperclassmen to anchor down the defense. The quartet helped goalkeeper Ken Cooper post five shutouts during the 2008 season.

Coop In Goal - Two-year starter Ken Cooper returns for his junior season as the incumbent goalkeeper for the 'Roos. The St. Louis native tied for the second most wins in a single season in school history when he posted a 10-6-2 overall record with five shutouts. The five shutouts are the second most in a single season in school history.

Men's Soccer On Metro Sports - The 'Roos will have a home match broadcast on Metro Sports later this season at Durwood Soccer Stadium & Recreational Field. The Oct. 27 match against Baker will be aired live. It is the first match to be televised since Oct. 18, 2005, against Drake, which was played at the Blue Valley District Athletics Complex.

An International Flavor - Coach Benben and Coach Schlichting hit the recruiting trail hard following the 2008 season. The duo landed a nine player recruiting class that features three international players. Joe McGuinness and Tom Black join the 'Roos from England, while Luke Harman comes to Kansas City from Ireland.
    UMKC now has a total of six international student-athletes (McGuinness, Black, Harman, Andy Fleischhacker, Diego Rojas and Ricardo Guerra) on its 2009 roster.

The New Digs - The 'Roos will be playing the 2009 season in the new Durwood Soccer Stadium & Recreational Field, which opened in Aug. 2009. The $9 million dollar facility, which will be one of the premier stadium's in the Midwest, was made possible by a $5 million gift by the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation.