'Roos Open Week at No. 20 Saint Louis, Finish at Home vs. Drake
9/15/2014 5:33:00 PM | Men's Soccer
UMKC 'Roos (1-2-1) at No. 20 Saint Louis Billikens (4-1)
Date / Time: Tuesday, Sept. 16 - 7 p.m. CT
Site: St. Louis, Mo. (Hermann Stadium)
Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (via SLU)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com (via SLU)
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos #RooUp #WACMsoc
Series: UMKC trails SLU 8-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-8
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: SLU won 3-1 on 9/1/12, away
Benben vs. Opponent: 0-7
Drake Bulldogs (1-3-1) UMKC 'Roos (1-2-1)
Date / Time: Saturday, Sept. 20 - 1 p.m. CT
Site: Kansas City, Mo. (Durwood Stadium)
Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (Subscribers)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos #RooUp #WACMsoc
Series: UMKC trails Drake 18-6-2
Home: 5-7-1
Away: 1-11-1
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: DU won 1-0 on 9/28/13, away
Benben vs. Opponent: 6-10-2
The Games
UMKC will hit the road briefly on Tuesday for a matchup with Saint Louis, who entered the week recieving votes in the NSCAA Top 25 poll. The 'Roos will then head back to Kansas City for a Saturday matchup with rival Drake at 1 p.m.
The Coaches
In his 17th season at UMKC, Rick Benben is the winningest coach in school history, posting a 117-150-34 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.
Mike McGinty is in his fifth season as the head coach at SLU, posting a 49-28-6 overall record. He has led the Billikens to back-to-back Atlantic-10 regular season titles, and NCAA Tournaments.
Sean Holmes is in his 17th season at Drake, and 21st as a head coach, boasting a 215-166-38 overall record. At Drake he has a 137-140-36 record and has taken the Bulldogs to multiple NCAA tournament berths. He is also the winningest soccer coach in school history.
The Series
UMKC is 0-8 all-time against SLU, with every contest coming on the road. Last time the two met in 2012, SLU came away with a 3-1 victory. The two teams also met in the 2001 NCAA Tournament second round with SLU taking a 2-1 win. Benben is 0-7 vs. SLU, while McGinty is 2-0 vs. the 'Roos.
The 'Roos are playing Drake for the 27th time, the most played non-conference series in UMKC history. The 'Roos have played the Bulldogs every season since 1990 except in the year 2000.
Drake leads the series 18-6-2 and has won the last four meetings, all by one goal. At home, UMKC has a 5-7-1 record against DU, winning two of the last three there. Under Benben, UMKC is 6-10-2 overall against Drake, while the Bulldogs are 10-6-2 under Holmes.
The Opponents
SLU comes into the week with a 4-1 overall record, with wins over Tulsa and No. 5 Louisville, both at home. The Billikens were receiving votes in last week's poll, but jumped in at No. 20 this week.
Robert Kristo and David Graydon lead the team offensively with four and five points, respectively. Defensively, they have posted two shutouts and goalkeeper Sascha Otte has a 1.20 goals against average with 12 saves.
The Bulldogs enter the week with a 1-3-1 overall record, but will face DePaul on Wednesday. Their lone win came against Green Bay.
James Wypych leads the squad with two goals and an assist. They have allowed eight goals on the season, while goalkeeper Darin MacLeod has a 1.48 goals against average and 19 saves.
A Win Against SLU Means...
- UMKC would have defeated the Billikens for the first time in school history.
- The 'Roos would have defeated a ranked opponent for the first time since 2009 against Drake.
- Missouri-Kansas City would be .500 overall.
Up Next
The 'Roos will continue their home swing with Central Arkansas coming to Kansas City for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Tuesday.
The 'Roos and Bears are meeting for the ninth time, with UMKC holding a 6-2 series advantage. The last meeting went in favor of the Bears however, taking a 3-0 victory on 9/8/13 in Conway, Ark. Prior to that, UMKC had won the last three meetings, while posting a 4-0 home mark.
