Kangaroos kicked in OT

By: David Cordill

Posted: 10/13/08

Western Illinois University's (WIU) sudden dagger in the 106th minute felled the UMKC men's soccer team 1-0 Saturday afternoon in Macomb, Ill.

The Leathernecks' (8-3-2; 1-1 Summit League) midfielder Kevin Hinds scored on a cross from forward Darryl Odom from five yards out during the second overtime.

This ended the Kangaroos three-game winning streak and their hopes of cracking the top 25 in the NCAA Division I soccer rankings.

Going into the match, for the first time in the history of the soccer program, UMKC had received votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. Once tabulated, the NSCAA votes decide which schools are the top teams in the nation.

A win against WIU probably would have secured a spot in the rankings for the Roos, who fell to 2-1 in the Summit League and 5-4-2 overall. Currently, the Roos are in a first-place tie with Oakland University in league standings.

"It was really a toss-up game," Kangaroos Head Coach Rick Benben said. "It probably should have been a tie. We just couldn't convert today. I'm disappointed with the result, but the effort was good. I congratulate Western Illinois on the win."

Neither team could find the back of the net during 90 minutes of stalemate soccer.

Junior UMKC defender John David Hernandez took a shot at the Leatherneck goal in the 21st minute, but WIU netminder Stephen Paterson came up with the ball in his mitts.

Junior forward Levi Coleman had a good chance for the Roos in the 31st minute, but his effort sailed wide of the post. Senior forward Brian Harris followed with a shot near the end of the half, but he could not get the ball past the cagey Paterson, who finished with three saves on the night.

The second half opened with the Kangaroos firing several volleys wide of the mark. Senior midfielder Caleb Mitchell, Harris and Coleman all sent errant balls in Paterson's direction during the first 15 minutes of the second half.

WIU defender Jeff Schield then tested the UMKC net but without results.

Gallant senior goalkeeper Ken Cooper came up with the first of his six saves on the night for the Roos when Schield took his team's first shot on goal at the 62:01 mark. Junior midfielder Martin Browne Jr. tried again for the Leathernecks in the 74th minute, but he too was denied by Cooper.

The Kangaroos, on the other hand, were unable to mount a significant attack against WIU for the latter part of the second stanza.

With the match tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, the squads squared off for an additional 10 minutes of overtime. Due to another Paterson stoppage, UMKC's Harris narrowly missed a game-winner in the 98th minute and the teams remained deadlocked.

The match moved on to a second overtime period and Hinds nailed the golden goal at the 105:18 mark for the Leathernecks.

"We knew going in that it was going to be a tough game," Benben said. "We just need to learn from it and move on. Western Illinois has had a pretty good season up to this point and I guess today it just got better for them."

The Kangaroos will try to get back on the winning track with a match against Rockhurst University Wednesday night at Bourke Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

dcordill@unews.com