Spring Break
Roos jolt #3 ranked Jays, 1-0
David Cordill
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: Sports
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Still, they couldn't find the back of the net.
But UMKC senior forward Brian Harris' header found that elusive sweet spot in game's 16th minute. His tally, coupled with senior goalkeeper Ken Cooper's five saves on the night, gave the unsung Kangaroos a 1-0 triumph over their vaunted opponents.
With his team raising their record to 2-1-2, Head Coach Rick Benben spoke about the importance of the win.
"For a regular season game, it was a good one," Benben said over a vocal group of celebrating team members. "I'm really excited for our players. It's nice to be rewarded for hard work. I knew the schedule was going to be difficult early on and we weren't happy with the draw against [#16 ranked University of Illinois Chicago] or the 3-1 loss at Eastern Illinois. It's nice to get the win."
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Adidas Poll ranked Creighton third in the country according to their latest survey. Saturday's upset marked the second time in school history the Kangaroos have knocked off Creighton when the Jays were ranked third in a national poll. UMKC defeated Creighton 1-0 back in 1996 under the tutelage of Head Coach Mike Brown.
Creighton out-shot the Kangaroos 22-3 in the match, 16 of which were recorded in the second half. They also managed five shots on goal to UMKC's total of one for the game. But the shot differential did not seem to bother Benben.
"We won," he said. "If we would have got beat 4-0 it would've mattered."
According to the Creighton University Athletics' Web site, Jays Head Coach Bob Warming said his team played "terrific" for the final 70 minutes of the match. But he said the Jays were "too casual" early on and that inexperience led to the UMKC's first-half score.
"That's the frustrating thing about soccer," Warming said. "A team can have just one shot and win the game."
Benben gave credit to the effective defensive play of the Roos, and said their particular strategy was the key to victory.
"We got the goal and [Creighton] kept sending players forward," Benben said. "We decided to defend with numbers. They kept the pressure on us but we kept behind the ball. We had to defend like maniacs, and we did."
He said he was especially impressed with the play of senior defender Caleb Mitchell, who filled in for sophomore Brian Quintana. As a result of a red card during last week's match at Florida International University, Quintana, had to sit the game out.
Harris' goal came by way of a header at 15:52 into the first period. Sophomore Matt Kopsky was credited with the assist, after serving up a chip from around 25 yards out.
"Their goalkeeper came out a little late and Brian had a nice finish," Benben said, describing Harris' third goal of the season. "Their goalkeeper came up and [Harris] got between him and the defender."
Cooper made two important saves to keep the lead intact. He turned away efforts from forward Jeff Thayer in the 18th minute and Byron Dacy in the 40th minute, preserving the 1-0 advantage at the half.
The Jays had two shots on goal going into the break. UMKC left the pitch with one, by virtue of Harris' strike.
Creighton directed three more shots at the UMKC net to open the second half. Cooper denied an attempt from Jay's freshman midfielder Kris Clark in the 48th minute and stopped a ball from junior forward Jeff Thayer in the 51st minute. Sophomore midfielder Sergio Castillo sent a header wide several minutes later for the Jays.
UMKC had not recorded a shot since the 35th minute of the match and were not able to get one off until Kopsky sent a ball sailing high in the 69th minute. The Jays looked to equalize with another trio of tries. Thayer's effort went wide for Creighton in the 58th minute and two subsequent efforts from Dacy were off the mark as well.
Late in the match the Jays kept up the pressure. After a corner kick in the 89th minute, Creighton sophomore midfielder Andrew Duran's shot veered wide. Darcy again came on with a last ditch effort again in the 90th minute, but Cooper got the save, and ultimately, the clean sheet.
All 11 UMKC starters played the full 90 minutes for the Kangaroos. Benben said, since Creighton was the Roo's lone opponent for the week, the need to substitute wasn't as necessary as during a typical two-game weekend schedule. He said he was hesitant to replace any of the starters because such a move might upset the team's cohesiveness.
"I never really felt comfortable kicking somebody else in with only the one game on the weekend," Benben said. "I didn't want to put somebody else in."
dcordill@unews.com
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