Roos and Leathernecks weather 0-0 tie

By: David Cordill

Posted: 10/15/07

After senior midfielder Ali Dorri's thunderous boot clanged off the near post late in the second overtime frame, it seemed safe to say the soccer gods wouldn't allow UMKC to score Saturday afternoon on a rain-soaked Bourke Field.

Indeed, the Kangaroos shot blanks all afternoon, but so did the Leathernecks of Western Illinois University (WIU) as both teams battled the elements and each other to a 0-0 draw.

"It felt good when I hit it," Dorri said of his near miss in the second extra period, "and then it slowly started drifting farther and farther left. I was ready to celebrate."

The Roos (5-5-2; 1-1-1 Summit League) and Leathernecks (4-6-3; 1-1-1) endured periods of rain and gusty winds while jousting their way through 120 minutes of stalemate soccer. Two extra periods were not enough to declare a winner, although UMKC had the lion's share of scoring opportunities and dominated throughout much of the match.

"In the second half and the overtime I thought we played real well," said UMKC head coach Rick Benben. "Unfortunately, that's the nature of our sport. You can't always get it in the goal....I wish we could have got the win, but that's life."

With the draw, the Roos were awarded a point in the Summit League standings, where they are currently tied for second place with Centenary College, but this match could have easily been a league victory for the squad.

"We should have won the game," said sophomore defender John David Hernandez. "We had many more opportunities than they had. We just outplayed them. It's still a good result, it's not a loss. We got a conference point and that's important - conference games are always hard."

The Kangaroos began to control the first half action after a slow start by both teams. Kangaroo junior forward Brian Harris sent a low drive wide in the 36th minute. During the 38th and 40th minutes, freshman midfielder Chris Markey and Harris, respectively, were whistled for yellow cards.

Seething over the calls and the disproportionate foul count (11-5 in WIU's favor), Benben became visibly upset with the officiating at the end of the half.

In the second half, UMKC stepped up the pace, controlled the midfield and did everything but score on the Leathernecks. In the 53rd minute, Harris headed a ball that was defended deftly by WIU goalkeeper Charlie Sales.

Kangaroo freshman defender Matt Kopsky's pass to Harris in the 61st minute was just out of reach of the charging forward who looked to be marginally marked on the play.

UMKC finished the day with seven shots on goal (SOG) and 18 total. The Kangaroos had five corner kick opportunities in the afternoon.

WIU ended the match with two SOG on 11 total with three corner kicks. The Leathernecks committed 24 fouls in the match while the Roos were charged with 16.

Freshman goalkeeper Ken Cooper chalked up two saves and recorded his first shutout as a Kangaroo.

dcordill@unews.com