'Roos Continue Home Stand with Streaking UCA coming to Kansas City
9/25/2012 3:10:00 PM | Men's Soccer
at Kansas City Kangaroos (2-4-2, 1-0 SL)
Wednesday, Sept. 26 - 7:00 pm
Kansas City, Mo. * Durwood Soccer Stadium
Live Stats/Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (T.J. Jackson, play-by-play)
The Game:
The 'Roos jump back out of conference for a mid-week game against Central Arkansas on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Kansas City looks to keep its three-game unbeaten streak alive, while UCA comes in on a four-game winning streak.
The Coaches
In his 15th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 107-131-29 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.
Ross Duncan is in his first season with Central Arkansas, and has a 6-1 overall record this season. He served as assistant coach the last two seasons before being promoted to the head position this year.
The Series
This is the seventh meeting between Kansas City and Central Arkansas, with the 'Roos leading the all-time series 5-1. The last meeting was September 17 of last season, with the 'Roos taking a 2-1 win. UMKC had to come back from a 1-0 deficit to get the win.
The 'Roos have a 3-0 record at home against the Bears, scoring a 1-0 double overtime win two years ago. Benben is 5-1 against UCA, while Duncan is 0-2 as an assistant coach.
Scouting the Competition
The Central Arkansas Bears come in at 6-1 overall (T-16th in D-I), including wins over Summit League members Western Illinois, Oral Roberts and Eastern Illinois. They are currently on a four-game win streak.
The Bears are paced by an outstanding defense, allowing only four goals all season, good for a 0.55 goals against average (T-12th in D-1). They split time in goal with two keepers. Offensively, they have 12 goals (1.66 gpg) on the year, led by Ethan Miller, Daniel Sampedo, and Manuel Montal with two apiece. They have out-shot opponents 106-88 on the season.
A Win vs UCA Means...
- Kansas City would move to 4-0 at home against the Bears, and have beaten them for the third straight year
- The 'Roos would be 3-1 at home this season.
- UMKC would have extended its unbeaten streak to four games, and snapped the Bears four-game winning streak.
Summit League Openers
The 'Roos have been good to start Summit League play during the Benben era, with a streak of six straight years being unbeaten after the win vs. IPFW. The 'Roos have a 10-3-1 overall mark in conference openers under Benben, last losing in 2006 to Western Illinois (1-0).
Defensive Turnaround
The 'Roos defense had a rough start to the season, giving up 10 goals in its first three games (3.33 GAA), but in the five contests since then, UMKC has allowed only four (0.80 GAA), posting a 2-1-2 mark in those games.
Up Next
The 'Roos hit the road for the first time in Summit League play on Sunday afternoon at Eastern Illinois.
Last year the 'Roos defeated the Panthers by a 3-1 score in KC. EIU leads the all-time series 8-5, and is 4-2 at home vs. UMKC, but the 'Roos have won the last two meetings.
Durwood W's
Since Durwood Soccer Stadium and Recreational Field opened in 2009, the 'Roos have been excellent there, posting a 17-8 mark (.680).
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 2-1 this year.
Lineup Shuffle
Kansas City has battled injuries this season, and because of them, the lineup has not been the same in in any two games this season. The closest the lineup has been in two consecutive games has come in the last two, with 10 of 11 starters staying the same.
