Roos' Historic Season Comes to a Close in Extra Time in the Round of 16

Sunday, December 1

Pittsburgh, PA

4:00 PM

Kansas City

14-5-3, 5-2-1

Pittsburgh

14-5-0, 6-2-0

Kansas City

Pitt

Photo by: Francie Wilson

Roos' Historic Season Comes to a Close in Extra Time in the Round of 16

12/1/2024 6:44:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Highlights Coach Pore Postgame Photo Gallery

Kansas City forced the second-seeded Panthers to extra time but fell in the 98th minute

PITTSBURGH - A thrilling season deserved a thrilling ending, and that's exactly what it got. Kansas City Men's Soccer went into the Petersen Sports Complex and went toe-to-toe with the second-seeded team in the NCAA tournament, falling 3-2 to Pitt in extra time.

The Roos showed fight all season long and this evening was no different. Julien Le Bourdoulous connected with Guille Munoz on a corner kick in the 74th minute to equalize and send the game into extra time after a 6th minute goal from Gabriele Galluccio opened the scoring.

Pittsburgh applied pressure on the Roos throughout the evening, peppering Brandon McGaugh with 22 shots faced and forcing him to make four saves on the night. The Panthers were barely too much in the end, scoring the game-winner in the 98th minute.

Kansas City's unprecedented season comes to a close in the Round of 16, a first in program history. The Roos end the year with a program record 14 wins and qualified to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008 and the first time under Head Coach Ryan Pore.

KEY MOMENTS | HIGHLIGHTS

6' / 1-0 | Kansas City was the aggressor early, scoring the opening goal. Le Bourdoulous sent a ball to the edge of the box, brought down by Elie Kisoka. Galluccio came crashing in and let a right-footed attempt rip, sending it to the lower-left corner for the first score of the night.

The Roos find the back of the net first!#NCAASoccer x ?? ESPN+ / @KCRoosMSoccer pic.twitter.com/vd4pB8KR1t
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 1, 2024

15' / 1-1 | Pittsburgh was able to level the score less than 10 minutes later, getting to the end line and sending a pass across the mouth of the goal. McGaugh laid out and punched the ball away, but it found the foot of Casper Grening for a goal.
26' / 1-1 | The Panthers maintained possession for much of the rest of the first half and created an opportunity as Albert Thorsen took a shot from the right side of the box. McGaugh laid out and pushed it away for a save.
57' / 1-1 | Kansas City's first chance of the second half came when Brevyn Cole cut up the left side and sent a cross that was deflected away. It found Le Bourdoulous, who sent a shot from about 30 yards out that scooted wide of the mark.
62' / 1-1 | The Panthers had a dangerous opportunity in the box, finding Lasse Dahl on the corner of the six-yard box. McGaugh came flying across the goal and made a diving save to keep the score equal.
70' / 1-2 | Pitt struck again, creating mayhem when a shot by Guilherme Feitosa was saved by McGaugh. The rebound bounced out to Arnau Vilamitjana, who let a shot fly that ricocheted off the cross bar and across the goal line for the go-ahead goal.
74' / 2-2 | It did not take long for Kansas City to respond, earning back-to-back corner kicks. Le Bourdoulous sent the second one to the near post, finding the head of Munoz for a redirected header that found the side netting for the equalizer.

Corner kicks ... the gift that keeps on giving!@julienlebourdo6 ?? @gmunoozv1 https://t.co/1wKpqJZX02 pic.twitter.com/a6tXuPEJ3U
— Kansas City Soccer (@KCRoosMSoccer) December 1, 2024

82' / 2-2 | Pitt looked to secure the win in regulation with a header from Thorsen that went off the crossbar. A second opportunity came to Casper Svendby, but Cole came sliding in to block the attempt away and allowed KC to force extra time.
98' / 2-3 | Thorsen scored the game-winner in golden goal fashion, making a perfectly timed run and sending a shot across the line to send the Panthers to the quarterfinals.

STATS TO NOTE

Kansas City rewrote the record books this season, tallying program records in wins (14), road wins (9), total goals (56) and total assists (60).
Le Bourdoulous finishes the year with a program-record 12 assists, seven of which occurred in the final five games of the season. His 18 career assists across two seasons played ranks third in program history.
Kisoka finished the season with 33 total points (12 goals, nine assists), setting a single-season program record. His 12 goals is tied for the best mark in program history.
Kansas City's offense will end the year as one of the top five in the nation in scoring average, tallying 2.55 goals per game. The Roos scored at least one goal in each of their final 16 games, went for two-plus goals 15 times on the year and scored three-plus goals on eight occasions.
The Roos finish the season with a 3-3 record against top-25 ranked teams, defeating Denver twice and taking down Missouri State in the NCAA Second Round.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Head Coach Ryan Pore