Roos battle to 2-2 stalemate

By: David Cordill

Posted: 9/8/08

UMKC came to terms with adversity in the Sunshine State and walked off a steamy pitch with a 2-2 draw against the Florida International University (FIU) Panthers Sunday afternoon.

Senior reserve goalkeeper Ricardo Guerra got the unexpected start for the Roos after scheduled senior starter Ken Cooper fell ill during pregame warm-ups.

"Guerra" translates as "war," and war was what the Roos entered into.

The Roos played minus one player during the final minutes of regulation and both overtime periods after sophomore defender Brian Quintana was ejected. Quintana's second yellow card reduced the Roos' on-field presence to 10 players.

The match wasn't the cleanest for the FIU Panthers either, who were whistled for 32 fouls. UMKC finished the match with 19.

UMKC men's soccer Head Coach Rick Benben said the result was "probably fair" considering the pickle his team put themselves into. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Kangaroos trailed 3-1 at the half, after yielding two quick scores. They were able to come back and tie the match in the 80th minute.

"We gave away two pretty bad defensive mistakes to put us behind," Benben said. "You have to be happy with the draw."

The Kangaroos opened up the scoring in 31st minute with the header of a former Panther. Junior UMKC forward Levi Coleman, a transfer from FIU, nodded in his second goal of the year off sophomore midfielder John Bayron Sosa's free kick.

But another Guerra, Ricardo's older brother Juan, was quick to get the Panthers back into the game.

Junior J. Guerra, FIU's all-Conference USA midfielder from 2007, knotted the match at 1-1 with a shot from the top of the box in the 33rd minute.

Nearly three minutes later, the elder Guerra again opened fire on his younger sibling, sending three shots at the Kangaroo net minder. Ricardo saved the first effort and the second hit off the crossbar. But the third found the back of the net for J. Guerra and the Panthers led 2-1 going into intermission.

The Kangaroos had several chances in the second frame.

Summit League Offensive Player of the Week, Brian Harris nearly evened the match for the Roos in the 60th minute, but the senior forward's shot hit the crossbar.

Sosa's stab in the 65th minute smacked the post, as did senior midfielder Caleb Mitchell's shot at the 78:29 mark.

The evener came when senior defender Garret Guthrie leveled the score at 2-2 with his second tally of 2008. UMKC senior midfielder Miguel Rodrigues set up the play with a nice cross and Guthrie took full advantage of it.

The score stayed deadlocked at the end of regulation time and the match went into extra periods.

FIU's Guerra, who finished the match with six shots on goal (SOG), triggered two errant shots in the first overtime (OT). He challenged his brother twice in the second OT with a pair of SOGs in the 108th minute.

UMKC was unable to mount any threats during the two five-minute periods and the game ended without a clear victor.

The Kangaroos had only two corner kick opportunities on the afternoon. FIU ended game with six. The Panthers recorded 10 SOGs on the Roos, who managed just four in 110 minutes of play.

dcordill@unews.com