'Roos Celebrate Senior Night with Streaking Jaguars Coming to Town
10/26/2012 2:35:00 PM | Men's Soccer
at Kansas City (6-8-2, 4-1 SL)
Saturday, October 27 - 7:00 pm
Kansas City, Mo. * Durwood Soccer Stadium
Live Stats/Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (T.J. Jackson, play-by-play)
The Game:
The 'Roos will celebrate senior night, with the last home game of the season on Saturday night against league rival IUPUI. The Jaguars sit a game behind Kansas City, third place in the standings. UMKC has clinched a spot in the conference tournament, but could be anywhere from the 1-4 seed, while the Jaguars need a win to clinch a spot.
The Coaches
In his 15th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 111-135-29 record. Under his guidance, UMKC has captured four Summit League regular season titles and has made three appearances in the NCAA College Cup with the most recent appearance coming in 2008. Benben, the fourth head coach in the Division I era, was inducted into the UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame this past year.
Isang Jacob is in his second season with IUPUI, posting a 12-18-4 overall record. He came to IUPUI after two seasons as the assistant coach at Penn State, and got his start in coaching as an assistant with the Jags from 1995-2002.
The Series
It will be the 16th meeting between the two schools with a 9-5-1 series record in favor of the 'Roos. Last season the Jags took a 1-0 decision in Indianapolis.
The 'Roos are dominant at home in the history of the series, posting a perfect 7-0 record. The last time they played at home was in 2010 when the 'Roos clinched the regular season title with a 1-0 win.
Benben has a 9-5-1 overall mark against IUPUI, while Jacob is 1-0 vs. UMKC as the head coach, and 2-4 as an assistant.
Scouting the Competition
The IUPUI Jaguars (6-8-2, 3-2 SL) come into the contest on a two-game win streak, taking out ORU 2-0 and Western Illinois 3-0. The Jags also defeated Eastern Illinois, while falling to both Oakland and Omaha in league play.
They are paced by the conferences leading scorer in Kyle Hyland, with eight goals and 55 shots, while teammate Michael Sass has three goals and four assists. Ranking second on the squad in shots is Ian Block at 25.
Defensively the Jags have a 1.46 goals against average, and have not been scored on since October 6. They also have five shutouts, and are paced by the conference leader in saves at 95, goalkeeper Eduardo Cortes.
A Win vs IUPUI Means...
- Kansas City would have five wins in conference play for the first time since 2003, and only the second time under Benben.
- The 'Roos would have defeated the Jags in Kansas City for the eighth consecutive time, moving to 8-0 at home all-time.
- Kansas City would have 15 points in the league standings, and clinch at least the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
Up Next
The 'Roos hit the road for the regular season finale against the defending league champions of Western Illinois on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Macomb.
It will be the 31st meeting with the Leathernecks, with WIU holding a 16-12-2 overall advantage. Last season they knocked off the 'Roos 3-2 in double OT in Kansas City. Overall, UMKC has lost its last three games against WIU.
In The League
The 'Roos have scored 2.0 goals per game in league play to rank second in the conference behind Oakland. Their 1.17 goals against per game in league play is third, behind Oakland and Omaha.
Individually David Sarabia and Jordan Rideout each have three league goals to rank tied for second in the conference, while Tom Gaus and Tom McCarthy each have three assists in league games, tied for second. Rideout also ranks third with seven league points.
Durwood W's
Since Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field opened in 2009, the 'Roos have been excellent there, posting a 20-9 mark (.690).
Last season UMKC went 3-4 at home, but posted an 8-1 mark in 2010, and went 4-2 in 2009. The 'Roos are 5-2 this year and rank second in attendance at 509 fans per game.
