Oct. 15, 2010
Coach's Preview |
ROCHESTER, Mich. - It will be a matchup of the two teams picked first and second in The Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll when the Oakland men's soccer team (4-7, 1-1) hosts UMKC (7-3-1, 2-0) in a noon kickoff on Saturday at the OU Soccer Field. The Kangaroos edged the Golden Grizzlies by just one point to top the preseason poll.
"We know that UMKC is a very good team," said Oakland's head coach Eric Pogue. "Every year they are one of the best teams in the conference and they have a special player in their midfield. We always have good battles with UMKC."
Oakland got back in the win column last week with a 1-0 victory over Loyola - Chicago. Senior forward Makesi Lewis scored the match-winning goal for the Golden Grizzlies. Junior Vuk Popovic cleared a ball off the goal line and junior goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt had seven saves to earn the team's fourth shutout victory of the season.
With the goal against the Ramblers, Lewis moved into a tie with sophomore Johnny Dreshaj for the team lead of two goals this season. The Golden Grizzlies have been spreading out the offensive load this season with eight different players having tallied at least one goal this year.
UMKC heads into the weekend on a three-match winning streak. Most recently, the 'Roos defeated Centenary 1-0 on a goal from Tom Black. Jimmy Simon has five goals this season to lead the UMKC offense, but both John Bayron Sosa and David Sarabia are offensive threats with three goals each.
Oakland holds the lead 12-4-3 in the all-time series against UMKC, but the teams have played a number of close matches in recent history. Last season OU won the regular season meeting 2-1, but fell to the 'Roos 2-1 in The Summit League Tournament.
"This is our biggest game of the year so far," added Pogue. "We've had great support from our crowd this year. We are hoping for the same support from our crowd this Saturday."
Admission is free to the general public for all matches at the OU Soccer Field. For those unable to attend the match, live stats will be available at OUGrizzlies.com
-30-
