'Roos Head North On I-35 To Face Drake On Wednesday
9/14/2010 12:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The Setting - The UMKC men's soccer team will return to action on Wednesday night when it heads to Des Moines, Iowa, to square off against Drake. The game between the 'Roos and Bulldogs will be played at the Cownie Soccer Complex beginning at 7 p.m.
Live Stats - Fans can follow the UMKC-Drake men's soccer game via live stats at UMKCKangaroos.com or GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
Scouting Drake - The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's contest on a three-game losing streak that has dropped their overall record to 1-3 on the season. DU opened the year with a 1-0 win at Michigan before being shutout in its next three contests at Oakland (0-1), at Notre Dame (0-2) and vs. No. 18 Indiana (0-2).
Kenan Malicevic scored DU's lone goal in the season opener against the Wolverines, while Jordan Kadlec has posted a 1.28 goals against average with 28 saves in between the posts.
The Series - The Bulldogs lead the all-time series over UMKC by the margin of 14-6-2. The 'Roos, however, have won the last two meetings in the series and are 2-0-2 in the last four contests. In each of the last two match-ups, UMKC has bested Drake when it entered the contest as a ranked opponent. The 'Roos topped the No. 19 Bulldogs, 4-3, in 2008 before posting a 3-0 shutout over No. 23 Drake a season ago.
Last Game - The 'Roos battled Loyola Chicago to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night in their first road contest of the 2010 season. Junior Jimmy Simon scored the UMKC goal - his second goal of the season - but the Ramblers netted the equalizer on a penalty kick in the 67th minute before the game ended in a deadlock.
This Time It's For Real - Wednesday's game at Drake will be the second meeting in 19 days, but this time it will count. On Aug. 27, the two squads met in an exhibition contest in Kansas City, where the Bulldogs came away with the 2-0 victory. DU scored its goals in the 65th and 71st minutes.
'Roos Debut At Ninth In NSCAA Midwest Region Rankings - UMKC made its 2010 debut in the NSCAA Midwest Region rankings on Sept. 14. The 'Roos are ranked ninth in the region. It is the team's first ranking since the 2008 campaign when it climbed to as high as third in the region before finishing the year ranked sixth.
Cooper Honored - Senior Ken Cooper was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13. The St. Louis native earned his third career accolade after making four saves in 110 minutes of action in the 1-1 draw at Loyola Chicago.
Simon Leads 'Roos In Goals - Junior Jimmy Simon netted his team-leading second goal of the season on Saturday night at Loyola Chicago. The forward is tied for fifth in The Summit League in goals and goals per game and sixth in points and points per game.
Coop-Tack-ular - Goalkeeper Ken Cooper is off to an outstanding start to his senior season, as he has posted a 0.68 goals against average, 12 saves, a .800 saves percentage and a pair of shutouts through four contests. Cooper's early season performance puts him atop the statistics in The Summit League in the categories of goals against average, save percentage and shutouts. He also ranks 42nd in the nation in GAA and is tied for 62nd in saves percentage.
Simon & Rojas Score First Career Game-Winners - Juniors Jimmy Simon and Diego Rojas each scored their first career game-winning goals in consecutive contests for the 'Roos in wins over Central Arkansas and Missouri State. Simon's goal - his first career in Blue and Gold - came in double overtime in the win over UCA. Rojas, meanwhile, rocketed a shot from 30-yards out in the 44th minute to lead UMKC to the 1-0 victory over MSU.
Back-To-Back Shutouts For Coop - Senior Ken Cooper posted back-to-back shutouts for the 'Roos in victories over Central Arkansas and Missouri State. The St. Louis native made four saves against UCA before stopping three MSU shots. The performances were the senior's 11th and 12th career shutouts.
Newcomers In The Fold - Six newcomers have seen extensive playing time through the first four games of the regular season. Defenders Josh Lind and Jeffrey Stezovsky have been among the team's starting 11 in every game this season.
Chasing History - Senior John Bayron Sosa enters his senior campaign as the second most prolific assist man in the UMKC record books. The Florida native has 18 career assists in three seasons, which are 12 shy of the school record that is held by Dan Hilson (30).
Part II - Senior Ken Cooper is closing in on the school record for career saves. The St. Louis, Mo., native currently has 266 stops in Blue and Gold, which is just 23 saves behind Beau Williams (289) for the most in school history. Cooper is also on pace to break the record for minutes played, as he is expected to break Williams' mark of 5,662-minutes on Oct. 3 against Eastern Illinois.
Markey Sidelined For '10 Season - Senior Chris Markey, who is one of UMKC's co-captains for the 2010 season, suffered a foot injury during the exhibition contest against Drake on Aug. 27. The midfielder broke his foot while going in for a tackle, which will force him to miss the remainder of the 2010 season.
Markey is the second UMKC senior to suffer a serious injury this season. Matt Kopsky, a returning starter and three-year letterwinner, went down with a knee injury prior to the beginning of preseason practice. He too will miss the entire 2010 campaign.
'Roos Tabbed As Preseason Favorites - UMKC was picked as the preseason favorite to claim the 2010 Summit League title. The 'Roos received three first place votes en route to 33 points to edge Oakland by a single point for the top spot.
Sosa Named To MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List - Senior John Bayron Sosa has been named to the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The St. Cloud, Fla., native is the first UMKC player to be named to the Watch List and is one of 39 Division I men's soccer players and the lone representative of The Summit League to be recognized.
Considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer, the recipient of the MAC Hermann Trophy is selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the NSCAA.
Sosa Among Candidates For 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award - Senior John Bayron Sosa is among the initial 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, one of the most prestigious honors in college athletics. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
Team Captains - Seniors John Bayron Sosa and Chris Markey have been selected to serve as the team co-captains for the 2010 'Roos.
A Veteran Squad - The 'Roos return nine starters and a total of 15 letterwinners to their 2010 squad, which includes seven seniors. Combined the seven members of the UMKC senior class has played a total of 288 games in Blue and Gold heading into their senior seasons.
An Offensive Juggernaut - UMKC has been the class of The Summit League in terms of offensive production in each of the past two seasons. The 'Roos led the league in goals, points and assists in both 2008 and 2009. The squad finished with 38 goals, 34 assists and 110 points in 2008 before following it up with a 31 goal, 24 assist, 86 point campaign in 2009.
Back-to-Back OPOY - The 'Roos have not only led the league in scoring in each of the past two seasons, but the squad boasts each of the past two Summit League Offensive Player of the Years. Brian Harris earned the post season recognition in 2008 before Bryan Perez took home the top offensive honor in 2009.
From Freshman Sensation To Super Sophomore? - Sophomore David Sarabia enjoyed a breakout inaugural season in Blue and Gold, where he was named The Summit League Newcomer of the Year. The Miami, Fla., native netted a UMKC freshman record nine goals on the year to finish second in The Summit League behind teammate Bryan Perez in the category. The nine goals were also tied for the seventh highest total in school history.
Home Cookin' - The Kangaroos will play a total of 12 home contests (nine regular season dates) during the upcoming 2010 season. The nine regular season contests are the most home games for the program since the 2006 season.
UMKC has enjoyed a great deal of success at home over the past two plus seasons, as the squad is 13-3 in 16 contests. The 'Roos were 7-0 during the '08 campaign before going 4-2 in their first season at DSSRF.
A Look Back To 2009 - The 'Roos posted a 7-10-2 overall record during the 2009 campaign, which included a 2-2-2 mark in Summit League play. UMKC upset top-seeded Oakland in The Summit League Championship semifinals to advance to the final for the third time in the last four years before dropping a 1-0 decision to Western Illinois.
UMKC had a total of six student-athletes earn post season recognition in 2009 with two players - Bryan Perez and David Sarabia - earning individual honors. Perez was named The Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, while Sarabia was named The Summit League Newcomer of the Year.
The pair were a part of a school record five first team selections, as they were joined on the first team squad by teammates Chris Markey, John Bayron Sosa and John David Hernandez. Additionally, Sarabia and Tom Black were named to the all-Newcomer squad.
Iron Man - Senior John Bayron Sosa has played in and started 61-of-62 total games in his UMKC career. Sosa has been among the starting 11 for the 'Roos in each of the past 50 contests.
Cooper Among UMKC Career Leaders - Senior Ken Cooper already ranks as one of the best goalkeepers in UMKC history when you look at his career statistics. The St. Louis native ranks among the top-two in five different career categories in the school record books.
Cooper in the UMKC Top-10
1st Goals Against Average 1.41
2nd Shutouts 12
2nd Saves 266
2nd Minutes Played 5183
2nd Wins 23
The Countdown To 100 - Head Coach Rick Benben, who is the winningest coach in UMKC history, currently has 92 career victories to his resume. The 13th year head man needs just eight victories to reach the 100-win milestone. In his tenure, UMKC has posted four seasons where it has won at least 10 contests.
Kuster-'Roo - True freshman Sean Kuster is the third member of his immediate family to play for the UMKC men's soccer team. Brother, Erik, played for the 'Roos during the 1999 season, where he netted nine goals, while Colin suited up for the program during the 2007 campaign.
Giant Killers - The 'Roos have been making a name for themselves in scheduling and beating ranked foes. UMKC has taken down a ranked opponent in each of the past two seasons, shutting out No. 23 Drake, 3-0, in 2009 after beating No. 3 Creighton (1-0) and No. 19 Drake (4-3) during the 2008 campaign.
Championship Soccer - UMKC earned its third NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008 after winning The Summit League Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The 'Roos, who have played in championship game of the league tournament in three of the last four years, 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.
