UMKC To Open Regular Season On Saturday Against Wisconsin
8/30/2013 5:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
WISCONSIN BADGERS (0-0) at UMKC 'ROOS (0-0)
Date / Time: August 31, 2013 - 8:00 p.m.
Site: Kansas City, Mo. / Durwood Soccer Stadium
Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (Subscription)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com (Free)
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos
Series: UW leads 1-0-0
Home: 0-0-0
Away: 0-1-0
Neutral: 0-0-0
Last Meeting: UW won 2-0 on 10/24/12
Benben vs. Opponent: 0-1-0
The Game
The 'Roos will host Wisconsin on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. in the home and regular season opener. The game was moved to the current time due to the heat. The 'Roos are 3-11-1 overall in season openers the last 15 years, last winning in 2007 against Florida Atlantic.
The Coaches
In his 16th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 112-137-29 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.
John Trask is 14-21-5 in his fourth year at Wisconsin, with a career mark of 54-45-31 in his 10th season. He came to UW from Illinois-Chicago, where he built the flames into a perrenial NCAA Tournament team.
The Series
The 'Roos are 0-1-0 against Wisconsin, dropping a 2-0 decision last year in Madison. The 'Roos are hosting a Big Ten opponent at home for the first time in school history.
Benben is 0-1-0 vs. UW, while Trask has a 3-0-1 mark against UMKC.
Scouting the Competition
The Badgers went 6-8-5 last season, including a 1-3-2 mark in Big 10 play. They return 16 letterwinners and eight starters to the lineup. They are led in defense be preseason All-American A.J. Cochran, while returning the two leading point-getters in Nick Janus and Chris Prince. The biggest returnee, however is senior Tomislav Zadro, who had six goals and eight assists in 2011, before getting injured prior to last season and redshirting.
A Win Against Wisconsin Means...
- UMKC would have its first ever win against a Big 10 opponent (0-3-0)
- The 'Roos would have their first season-opening win since 2007 against Florida Atlantic.
- Kansas City would have defeated a BCS conference team for the first time since Sept. 23, 2011 at Oregon State.
Up Next
UMKC will hit the road for a four-game swing, starting with a game at Memphis on Friday, followed by a contest at Central Arkansas on Sunday in Searcy.
Kansas City leads the series with Memphis 2-1, last taking a 2-1 win in 2010 in Edwardsville, Illinois. The 'Roos also lead the Bears of UCA in the overall series by a 6-1 margin, winning the last three meetings.
Exhibition Tests
The 'Roos played Rockhurst and Bradley in their two preseason games, giving them two high-quality opponents to get ready for the season (RU ranked No. 6 in D-II, BU receiving votes in D-I poll). UMKC came up on the short end of the scoreboard in both contests, but controlled play for the most part in each. The 'Roos actually out-shot the competition in both games, taking a 13-7 advantage against RU, and a 25-22 shot margin vs. the Braves.
Durwood Dominance
Kansas City has a 21-9 overall record in the friendly confines of Durwood Stadium since it opened in 2009. Last year they posted a 6-2 mark there, going 4-0 in conference play.
UMKC will get seven home regular season matches this year, five of which come in conference action.
