UMKC Returns To The Pitch On Saturday Afternoon At Missouri State
9/4/2009 10:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
UMKC at Missouri State
Sept. 5, 2009 - 4 p.m.
Plaster Field
Springfield, Mo.
The Setting - The UMKC men's soccer team will return to action on Saturday afternoon when it travels to Springfield, Mo., to face Missouri State. The 'Roos and Bears will meet at Plaster Field beginning at 4 p.m.
Scouting Missouri State - The Bears enter Saturday's match with an 0-1-0 record after opening the 2009 season with a 2-0 loss at No. 14 Tulsa on Tuesday night. After playing to a 0-0 tie over the first 76 minutes, the Bears surrendered a pair of goals over the final 15 minutes to fall in their season opener.
Missouri State returns nine starters and 13 letterwinners from the 2008 squad that posted a 7-10-5 overall record and a 3-1-1 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. Goalkeeper Alex Riggs, who is a preseason all-MVC selection, is the top returnee, as he finished with a 0.95 goals against average, 109 saves and six shutouts a season ago. Riggs played every minute in goal for the Bears in '08.
MSU is led by Jon Leamy, who is in his 18th season with the Bears, where he has compiled a 175-126-31 overall record.
UMKC-MSU- The Series - The Bears lead the all-time series over the Kangaroos, 14-3. Last season, UMKC ended a nine-match losing streak to Missouri State when it secured a 1-0 victory at Bourke Field in Kansas City. Former 'Roo Brian Harris connected on the goal in the 75th minute to send UMKC to the 1-0 win.
Last Match - The 'Roos opened the regular season with a 4-1 loss at No. 22 San Francisco on Tuesday night at Negoesco Stadium in San Francisco, Calif. The Dons jumped out to a two goal lead before UMKC got on the board, and USF tacked on two second half strikes to earn the victory.
'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.
Black/Rojas End Preseason With Team Lead In Goals - Sophomore Diego Rojas and freshman Tom Black ended the regular season tied for the team lead with two goals apiece. Rojas notched a pair of strikes on five shot attempts, while Black scored twice on eight attempts.
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.
Perez Jumps Into A Tie For Second In Career Goals - UMKC senior Bryan Perez notched his first goal of the 2009 season on Tuesday night at No. 22 San Francisco. The goal was the Miami native's 19th goal in Blue and Gold, which put him into a tie for second place all-time.
The midfielder now is just two goals shy of tying and three goals shy of breaking the school record of 21 goals, which is held by former 'Roo Drew Perkins (2001-03).
Sosa Moves Into Fourth In Career Assists - Junior John Bayron Sosa moved into fourth place in career assists after feeding senior Bryan Perez for his strike in the match at No. 22 San Francisco on Sept. 1. The St. Cloud, Fla., native now has 11 assists in Blue and Gold.
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.
A Look Back - UMKC finished the 2008 season with a 10-7-3 overall record. Entering the Summit League Tournament as the No. 3 seed, the 'Roos edged Western Illinois to advance to the final. The squad then claimed its third NCAA Tournament berth with a shoot out victory over Oakland.
Where's The Offensive Firepower? - The Kangaroos will need to replace 22 of its 38 goals from the 2008 season, as Brian Harris, Caleb Mitchell, Garret Guthrie and Levi Coleman all departed via graduation. The 'Roos will turn to one returnee on the front line in sophomore Diego Rojas to go along with newcomers Jimmy Simon and Tom Black.
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.
It's A Hat Trick Occasion - Senior Bryan Perez is one of six players in UMKC men's soccer history to post a hat trick in a single game. Perez accomplished the feat during his junior season when he guided the 'Roos to a 4-3 win over Drake.
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.
The Enforcer - Junior Brian Quintana returns with the reputation of being UMKC's “Enforcer”. The defender was cautioned six times in '08 in 18 matches.
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.
Cooper also ranks among the top-10 in the record books in several categories:
Transfers Return Home - The Kangaroos added two players Division I players when they transferred closer to home. Forward Jimmy Simon (Leavenworth, Kan.) and Tyler Schwab (Leawood, Kan.) returned to Kansas City after starting their careers at Rutgers and Marquette, respectively.
Follow The 'Roos Online - All of UMKC's home matches will be audio and video streamed online at www.UMKCKangaroos.com. Sign up for Roo Vision today to follow the '09 squad.
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.
UMKC vs. Ranked Foes - The Kangaroos posted a 2-1-1 overall record against ranked opponents in 2008, which included a 1-0 victory at No. 3 Creighton. The squad will look to continue its strong performance against ranked foes in '09.
Three squads - California, Drake and Saint Louis - start the season ranked in various polls. California is eighth in both the CollegeSoccerNews.com and NSCAA polls, Drake is 21st in the CSN poll and receiving votes in the NSCAA rankings and Saint Louis is 21st in the NSCAA and 24th in the CSN polls.
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.
Benben-Schlichting Coaching Duo Back For 12th Season - The 'Roos will be led by head coach Rick Benben and associate head coach Fred Schlichting for the 12th straight season in 2009. The duo has been a part of 83 wins (7.5 p/season) during their time at UMKC.
Former Wizard Joins UMKC Coaching Staff - Former Kansas City Wizard player Brian Roberts joined the UMKC coaching staff as a graduate assistant coach. Roberts, who has coached the last three years with the KC Legends soccer program, played three seasons with the Wizards as both a reserve and first team player. Before going pro, Roberts played collegiately at Yale, where he was a four-time all-Ivy League selection and a two-time all-New England honoree.
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.
