2008 Woodie Awards
Cruel defeat surprises Roos
David Cordill
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Sports
At a time when they needed a convincing win over a lesser conference opponent, the UMKC men's soccer team faltered, losing 2-1 in double overtime to the Gents of Centenary College Saturday afternoon in Shreveport, La.
Playing one man down in the 104th minute, Centenary (4-8-1; 2-1 Summit League) shocked the Roos when freshman midfielder Aaron Bergman stroked his first goal of the year in a one-on-one situation against UMKC sophomore goalkeeper Ken Cooper.
The loss, the Kangaroos' second in five Summit League matchups, sheds some doubt on the team's postseason future. With a log jam of conference teams vying for the four allotted league championship seeds, UMKC (9-5-2; 3-2 Summit League) would be best served to win their final match against Summit League leading Oakland University next Saturday in Rochester, Mich.
"We just missed a bunch of chances," UMKC Head Coach Rick Benben said. "And, being a man up, we obviously weren't happy giving up a goal that way."
The Gents lost midfielder John McHugh on consecutive yellow cards in the 92nd and 96th minutes, and were forced to play with only 10 players through the remainder of regulation and overtime.
Although the Kangaroos recorded six shots on goal through the first 70 minutes, the Gents would get on the board first via freshman Connor Adams' effort at the 77:41 mark.
UMKC would come right back in the 82nd minute to tie the score. Junior midfielder Bryan Perez chested down a ball from senior midfielder Miguel Rodrigues' corner kick and beat out several defenders for his ninth goal of the season.
But Centenary, albeit shorthanded after the 95:13 mark, would prevail on the day for the unlikely triumph.
Benben said the Kangaroos had their share of opportunities but could not convert.
"We just didn't get the types of chances we needed," he said. "In the end we didn't get the roll or the bounce of the ball. But you've got to give Centenary credit. They hung in and made the plays they needed to make to win. We obviously would have liked to have won today but it wasn't in the cards."
Benben said by no means did his team look past the statistically inferior Gents in order to prepare for their upcoming game against Oakland, next week.
"It would be unfair to say that to the kids," he said. "Soccer is a cruel game. I don't feel like we overlooked them at all."
dcordill@unews.com
Playing one man down in the 104th minute, Centenary (4-8-1; 2-1 Summit League) shocked the Roos when freshman midfielder Aaron Bergman stroked his first goal of the year in a one-on-one situation against UMKC sophomore goalkeeper Ken Cooper.
The loss, the Kangaroos' second in five Summit League matchups, sheds some doubt on the team's postseason future. With a log jam of conference teams vying for the four allotted league championship seeds, UMKC (9-5-2; 3-2 Summit League) would be best served to win their final match against Summit League leading Oakland University next Saturday in Rochester, Mich.
"We just missed a bunch of chances," UMKC Head Coach Rick Benben said. "And, being a man up, we obviously weren't happy giving up a goal that way."
The Gents lost midfielder John McHugh on consecutive yellow cards in the 92nd and 96th minutes, and were forced to play with only 10 players through the remainder of regulation and overtime.
Although the Kangaroos recorded six shots on goal through the first 70 minutes, the Gents would get on the board first via freshman Connor Adams' effort at the 77:41 mark.
UMKC would come right back in the 82nd minute to tie the score. Junior midfielder Bryan Perez chested down a ball from senior midfielder Miguel Rodrigues' corner kick and beat out several defenders for his ninth goal of the season.
But Centenary, albeit shorthanded after the 95:13 mark, would prevail on the day for the unlikely triumph.
Benben said the Kangaroos had their share of opportunities but could not convert.
"We just didn't get the types of chances we needed," he said. "In the end we didn't get the roll or the bounce of the ball. But you've got to give Centenary credit. They hung in and made the plays they needed to make to win. We obviously would have liked to have won today but it wasn't in the cards."
Benben said by no means did his team look past the statistically inferior Gents in order to prepare for their upcoming game against Oakland, next week.
"It would be unfair to say that to the kids," he said. "Soccer is a cruel game. I don't feel like we overlooked them at all."
dcordill@unews.com
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