Late goal trips UMKC soccer

Despite loss, team headed for Summit League Championship

By: David Cordill

Posted: 11/10/08

In a match with post-season implications on the line, the UMKC men's soccer team was on the short end of a 2-1 result Saturday afternoon against the Summit League top dogs from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.

Oakland midfielder Tom Catalono scored twice. His 89th minute game-winner gave the conference-leading Golden Grizzlies the top seed in the Summit League Championships next weekend.

"The game was pretty even," said UMKC Head Coach Rick Benben. "We really had defensive lapses on both goals. It was a tough loss but it was really good to play against them."

The Kangaroos took an early 1-0 lead on senior midfielder Levi Coleman's unassisted strike in the 30th minute.

The goal was Coleman's third of the year.

Catalono responded with tallies at the 32:59 mark and at 88:22 for the Golden Grizzlies.

Benben said he was forced to sit junior midfielder Bryan Perez after a yellow card in the 10th minute for fear of losing him during the Summit League Championships.

He said the move probably had an impact on the game for the Roos.

Perez, who Benben said was "arguably the best player on our team," was cautioned at the 9:15 mark and recorded only 13 minutes of playing time.

Although UMKC (9-6-2; 3-3) didn't get the victory in its final regular season match, they still qualified for the post season tournament as the third seed. The Roos will face second-seeded Western Illinois University this Friday at 1 p.m.

Oakland University (13-4-0; 5-1), the host team of the Summit League tourney, matches up against fourth-seeded IUPUI in their first-round game.

While acknowledging Oakland's front running status, Benben also seemed excited for all of the other teams involved in the tournament.

"You certainly have to look at Oakland as the favorite," he said. "But you are also looking at three other teams with really good seasons. I think it's going to be a really good thing."

dcordill@unews.com