Kansas City Hosts Air Force and Grand Canyon This Weekend in WAC Play
10/17/2013 1:09:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Air Force Falcons (1-8-1, 1-0-1) and Grand Canyon 'Lopes (1-7-1, 0-2) at
UMKC 'Roos (2-5-4, 1-1-1)
Date / Time: Oct. 18 - 7:00 p.m./ Oct. 20 - 1:00 p.m.
Site: Kansas City, Mo. (Durwood Stadium)
Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (pay-per-view)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com (free)
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos
Series: AF leads 3-0-1 / UMKC leads 1-0-0
Home: 0-0-0 / 0-0-0
Away: 0-1-1 / 1-0-0
Neutral: 0-2-0 / 0-0-0
Last Meeting: Tied 2-2 2OT / Won 2-1
Benben vs. Opponent: 0-2-1 / 1-0-0
The Games
Kansas City hopes to build off last weekend's results when it comes home for a pair of games against Air Force and Grand Canyon. Last week the 'Roos came from two back to tied the Falcons 2-2, before defeating GCU 2-1 on the road Sunday.
The Coaches
In his 16th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 114-142-33 record. Under his guidance, UMKC has captured four conference 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 in 2012.
Doug Hill is in his seventh season at Air Force, and led them to the NCAA Tournament last season. He has an overall record of 47-68-10, and was a 1983 grad of the Academy.
Petar Draskin is in his 21st season at Grand Canyon and boasts a 217-152-38 record. He led GCU to a Division II National Championship and numerous NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Series
UMKC is 0-3-1 against Air Force all-time, tying 2-2 last week. The previous meeting was 2009, falling by a 6-3 score on the road. The other two meetings came at neutral sites with AF winning 3-1 in 1996 and 2-1 in 2002.
This will be the second ever meeting between Grand Canyon and Kansas City, with UMKC taking a 2-1 road win last Sunday.
Scouting the Competition
Air Force comes in at 1-8-1, 1-0-1 in the WAC, playing a tough schedule. The Falcons have a tie and a win in the last two matches. Offensively they have scored seven goals this year (five last weekend), while giving up 24. Ryan Ward scored both goals against UMKC last week. Brian Klazura and Caleb Downey lead the team, with both on the preseason All-WAC squad. The Falcons were picked second in the WAC as well.
Grand Canyon is 1-7-1 overall on the season and 0-2 in the WAC. They will face Houston Baptist on the road Friday before facing UMKC Sunday. The 'Lopes are led by Kyle Ciliento with four goals and nine points, while the team has scored 10 goals and allowed 17. GCU has also lost six games by only a goal and are on an eight-game winless streak.
A Win Against Air Force Means...
- UMKC would have defeated Air Force for the first time in school history.
- The 'Roos would extend its unbeaten streak to three games.
A Win Against Grand Canyon Means...
- UMKC would have moved to 2-0 against the 'Lopes all-time.
- The 'Roos would have secured a sweep of its first conference opponent in the WAC.
Up Next
UMKC hits the road for two games against West Division squads when it battles UNLV and Bakersfield on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The 'Roos will be facing both Bakersfield and UNLV for the first time ever.
What They Rank in the WAC
The 'Roos are first in the WAC so far this season with a 1.35 goals against average.
Individually, Chris McGaughey is fourth in GAA (1.70) and fourth in save percentage (.745). Jordan Rideout is second in the conference in shots (39), third in goals (5), and fourth in points (10). Tato Chiaparro is tied for seventh with three goals.
