No. 25 Roos Open Season with 5-0 Thrashing of Cougars

Thursday, August 20

Kansas City, Mo.

7:30 PM

Kansas City

1-0-0, 0-0-0

SIUE

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
SIUE	0	0	0
Kansas City	2	3	5

Photo by: Josh Walker

No. 25 Roos Open Season with 5-0 Thrashing of Cougars

8/20/2026 11:03:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Highlights Postgame Interview: Kistmann/Fernandez Postgame Interview: Coach Pore

Kansas City picked up its largest win against a DI opponent since 2002

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If you think you missed Kansas City Men's Soccer over the past nine months, the Roos proved tonight that they missed it that much more. The 25th-ranked team in the nation opened the season with flair this evening, putting a 5-0 beating on SIUE. On a night where Kansas City honored former Head Coach Rick Benben and the 2001 Mid-Continent Conference Championship-winning team, the Roos tipped their hats by scoring five goals, the most against a Division I opponent since Sep. 6, 2024.

It did not take long for the Roos to get the action started, with Raphael Kistmann finding the back of the net in the 10th minute for the 14th goal of his Kansas City career. It began with Bryson Gosch driving the ball forward, pushing it out to Mark Ramarola on the left side. Ramarola sent a cross that bounced on the edge of the six-yard box and Kistmann lunged forward to head it home.

Kansas City continued controlling the game for the rest of the half, possessing the ball at a 55% rate. The aggressive play paid off again in the 36th minute as Brevyn Cole, playing in his first collegiate action since the Roos' NCAA Third Round game against Pitt on Dec. 1, 2024, cleaned up a shot from freshman Makhi Francis and scored his first goal in 706 days. The Roos took the 2-0 lead, and all of the game's confidence, into the half.

Kistmann quickly found his 15th-career goal, securing the brace in the 57th minute. Miguel Fernandez played a long ball forward and Kevin Nkumu chased it down, centering the ball despite being sandwiched by a pair of Cougars. Nobody was left between Kistmann and the goal for his second of the night.

The Roos added a pair more goals in the game's waning moments, a header from Guille Munoz in the 76th on an assist from Kistmann and the final goal of the night from Mariano Beunza in the 82nd on assists from Brice Miller Jr. and Mark Ramarola.

SIUE did not ask much of Brandon Kincaid but he was there when needed, making one save on the night and securing the seventh shutout of his Kansas City career.

Kistmann's five total points on the evening are the most by a Roo against a Division I opponent since... Kistmann did the same against NIU on Sep. 6, 2024. It was also Kansas City's largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent since a 7-1 drubbing of IUPUI by the 2002 Roos, a team led by Coach Benben himself.

The Roos are back in action on Tuesday evening, taking on UNLV for the second of their three-game season-opening home stand. Tickets to catch the nationally-ranked Roos in action are available now at kcroos.com/MSOCtix.