UMKC hosts Rockhurst in "Battle of the Blue" Exhibition Match
8/18/2012 9:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
UMKC Kangaroos (0-0) (Exhibition)
Sunday, August 19 - 7:30 pm
Kansas City, Mo. * Durwood Soccer Stadium
Live Stats/Webcast: www.UMKCKangaroos.com (T.J. Jackson, play-by-play) (Webcast will be free on Sunday)
The Game:
The 'Roos come in to Sunday's match after tying No. 16 SMU on Wednesday in Dallas. Freshman Broc Cramer scored the tying goal in the 63rd minute. The Kangaroos will play at home for the first time on Sunday against Rockhurst at 7:30 p.m. in the "Battle of the Blue".
The event will take place in conjunction with Welcome Weekend at UMKC, with a tailgate going from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the circle drive in front of Swinney Recreation Center. There will be free food, music, and games for the event opened to the public. Also, Sprint will be on hand to collect old cell phones that are not in use for recycling.
Preseason Poll Released
The Kansas City men's soccer team was tabbed to finish second in the Summit League, announced in the 2012 preseason coach's poll Friday. The Kangaroos received 39 points and one first place vote, finishing just behind defending league champion Western Illinois.
The Leathernecks tallied five first-place votes and 46 points, while the 'Roos edged third-place Oakland by one point. The Grizzlies tallied two first place votes and 38 points.
The Coaches
In his 15th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 105-127-27 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.
Tony Tocco is the second-winningest active coach in the college ranks with 600 career victories. He is in his 42nd season as a college head coach, all at Rockhurst. He has led RU to 17 national tournament appearances.
The Series
The 'Roos are 5-9-1 all-time against Rockhurst in regular season play, but the two teams have played in exhibition action the last three years. In 2009 the game ended 2-2, followed by a 1-1 tie in 2010 and a 2-1 UMKC win last year.
Scouting the Competition
Rockhurst was picked to win the GLVC Championship last week. The Hawks finished with a 17-2-3 record in 2011 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA D-II tournament. The sixth-ranked Hawks return 19 lettermen and 10 starters, including four NSCAA All-Americans.
