UMKC Heads to SMU Invite, Faces No. 13 Tulsa and Host Mustangs
9/12/2013 6:28:00 PM | Men's Soccer
UMKC 'ROOS (0-2-1) vs.
TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (3-1) and
SMU MUSTANGS (0-4)
Date / Time: Sept. 13 (TU) & 15 (SMU)/ 5 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Site: Dallas, Texas
Webcast: None / SMUMustangs.com
Live Stats: Link on UMKCKangaroos.com (Free), both
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos
Series: Tulsa leads 10-1-1 / SMU leads 2-0
Home: 1-2-0 / 0-1-0
Away: 0-8-1 / 0-1-0
Neutral: 0-0-0 / 0-0-0
Last Meeting: L, 4-0 - 8/25/12 / L 2-1 - 9/24/06
Benben vs. Opponents: 0-5-1 / 0-2-0
The Games
The 'Roos play the final two of a four-game road swing on Friday and Sunday against stiff competition at the SMU Invitational. Tulsa comes in ranked No. 13 in the nation with its only loss coming to No. 1 Creighton. SMU, the defending C-USA regular season champions, has a 0-4 mark, dropping all four games by one goal, including two against nationally ranked opponents.
The Coaches
In his 16th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 112-139-30 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.
Tom McIntosh has led Tulsa to the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last 10 seasons and boasts a 201-134-39 overall record in his 19th season there. He is the all-time winningest coach in school history, and a graduate of TU.
Tim McClements is in his sixth season as the head coach at SMU, posting a 55-32-12 mark. He has led the Mustangs to multiple NCAA tournaments and Conference USA titles. He has been an assistant coach for SMU on two occasions.
The Series
The 'Roos are 1-10-1 against Tulsa, winning only in 1995. This will be the first neutral site meeting between the schools. Tulsa won the last meeting 4-0 in last year's season opener. Benben has a 0-5-1 overall mark against TU (tied 2-2 in 2005).
Against SMU, the 'Roos are 0-2, falling in both 2002 and 2006 by one-goal margins. The last meeting was a 2-1 Mustang win in 2006. Both meetings came under the tenure of Benben.
Scouting the Competition
Tulsa is ranked No. 13 in the nation with a 3-1 overall record. The Golden Hurricane has wins over Drake, Ohio State and SIUE, with its only loss coming to current No. 1 Creighton. They are paced by Cristian Mata, who has two goals and three assists, while goalkeeper Cody Mumma has a 0.75 GAA. Both were C-USA Players of the Week. TU has scored nine goals, allowing three.
SMU is 0-4 on the young season, dropping four games by just a goal. Three of those contests came against teams receiving votes in this week's NSCAA rankings. They have scored two goals, while allowing six. Forwards Alfred Koroma and Juan Castillo lead the team with eight shots each. The Ponies will play Hartline on Friday before facing UMKC on Sunday.
A Win Against Tulsa Means...
- UMKC would have defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since 2009, a 3-0 win over Drake.
- The 'Roos would have defeated TU for the first time since 1995, and the first time ever under Benben.
A Win Against SMU Means...
- UMKC would have defeated SMU for the first time in school history.
- Former Mustang Derek Schrick would have defeated his former team.
Up Next
UMKC will be back in the friendly confines of Durwood Stadium, facing Incarnate Word on Saturday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m.
The 'Roos will be facing the newly Division I Cardinals for the first time in school history.
What They Rank in the WAC
The 'Roos are second the WAC so far this season with a 1.55 goals against average.
Individually, Kevin Corby leads the WAC in goals against average (0.58) and save percentage (.800). Jordan Rideout is fourth in the conference in shots per game (3.4), and his seven shots vs. Wisconsin are the most for any WAC player in a game this year.
