Kansas City Heads Back to Macomb for Summit League Championship Contest vs. WIU
11/8/2012 8:30:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Kansas City 'Roos (7-9-2, 5-2 SL) at
Western Ill. Leathernecks (5-8-5, 3-2-2 SL)
Friday, Nov. 9 - 2:00 pm
Macomb, Ill. * MacKenzie Alumni Field
Live Stats/Webcast: GoLeathernecks.com / TheSummitLeague.org
The Game:
The 'Roos will head to Macomb this Friday for the second matchup in a row with Western Illinois, this time in the semifinals of the 2012 Summit League Championships. The second-seeded Kangaroos will kick off against the third-seeded Leathernecks at 2:00 p.m. while top-seeded Oakland faces No. 4 Fort Wayne at 11:00 a.m. The tournament champ gets a bid to the NCAA College Cup.
The Coaches
In his 15th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 112-136-29 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.
Eric Johnson is in his 21st season with Western Illinois, posting a 134-147-41 record there, and a overall record of 176-200-34. Last year he led the Leathernecks to the Summit League regular season and tournament titles, as well as a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Series
It will be the 32nd meeting with the Leathernecks, with WIU holding a 17-12-2 overall advantage. Last week they knocked off the 'Roos 2-1 in Macomb. Overall, UMKC has lost its last four games against WIU, last winning in 2009, 1-0.
The 'Roos are 3-10 on the road against Western Illinois, and have lost eight straight contests in Macomb. The last win for UMKC there came in 1997 by a 5-0 score.
Benben has a 6-12-2 overall mark against WIU, while Johnson is 12-8-2 vs. UMKC.
Scouting the Competition
The Leathernecks of Western Illinois are 5-8-5 overall this season, with a 3-2-2 league record. They are the No. 3 seed in this weekend's championship.
They are paced by Nathan Bruinsma, who leads the squad with five goals and 41 shots. Charlie Bales leads the team with four assists. The Leathernecks have scored only 14 goals this season, despite 215 shots.
Defensively they have a 1.34 goals against average, with goalkeeper Yves Dietrich making 70 saves and playing every minute.
A Win vs WIU Means...
- Kansas City would have advanced to the Summit League Championship game for the first time since 2009, and the fourth time in the last seven years.
- It would be the 'Roos seventh appearance in the title game, all under Benben.
- The 'Roos would have their 11th eight-win season ever, and 7th under Benben.
- Kansas City would have snapped an eight game-road losing streak to the Leathernecks, and a four-game losing streak overall.
At The Championships
Kansas City has an all-time record of 5-12-5 in the Summit League Tournament (4-1 record in penalty shootouts). The 'Roos are 5-8-5 under Benben, winning titles in 2001, 2003 and 2008.
UMKC has appeared in the title game on six occasions (1998, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009).
The 'Roos have now advanced to the Summit League Conference Tournament in six of the last seven seasons, and in 13 of Benben's 15 seasons as the head coach (2005, 2011 were the only misses).
Overall, UMKC has now advanced to 18 Summit League Tournaments.
As the No. 2 seed under Benben, the 'Roos are 2-2-2 in the tournament.
In The League
The 'Roos scored 1.86 goals per game in league play to rank second in the conference behind Oakland. Their 1.29 goals against per game in league play is tied for second, also behind Oakland.
Individually Jordan Rideout has five goals in conference play, which leads the league, while Tom Gaus and Tom McCarthy each have three assists in league games, tied for second. Rideout also ranks second in the conference with 11 league points.
