Kansas City allows an early goal in the season opener, as they lose 0-1 to Duke

Kansas City Roos midfielder Kazuki Kimura led the way with three attempted shots (Julia Kapros/RooNews)

Cristian Martinez, Sports Editor
August 25, 2022

On opening night, the Kansas City Men’s Soccer team tried their best to keep up, but an early Drake Bulldogs goal led to a 0-1 loss on opening night. Here are some key takeaways from tonight’s performance. 

  • The Roos set their sights on an early goal, as senior midfielder Kazuki Kimura attempted a shot in the sixth minute. 
  • Kansas City’s aggressive tactics showed on the stat sheet, with the team attempting five shots in the first half. 
  • However, Drake’s strikers played a physical game against the Roos’ defenders, which allowed the Bulldogs to take five shots in the first 45 minutes. 
  • In the 15th minute, Drake’s forward Bradan Allen walked the tightrope near the Roos goal. He found forward AJ Franklin for a contested score. 
https://twitter.com/DrakeMensSoccer/status/1562968122788745216?s=20&t=E0YchI7iyx7C6DekWkNieA
  • During the 50th minute, Graduate forward Philipp Basara almost made the game-tying goal on a clean header, but just hit the crossbar. 
https://twitter.com/KCRoosMSoccer/status/1562980386245709824?s=20&t=E0YchI7iyx7C6DekWkNieA
  • After 90 minutes of an extraneous tug-o-war, the Roos couldn’t find the back of the net, even though they attempted ten total shots. 

Player of the game: Cooper Clark

Even though he allowed one goal, fifth-year senior goalie Cooper Clark had the best highlight for the Roos, notching back-to-back saves in the 57th minute. 

Tiki Taco
https://twitter.com/KCRoosMSoccer/status/1562981993343623170?s=20&t=E0YchI7iyx7C6DekWkNieA

Quote of the Night: Coach Ryan Pore

“Did we play well tonight? No. But it was a reality check for us.”

The Roos will try to get to .500 this Sunday against Bradley University at 7:30 p.m at Durwood Stadium. Buy your tickets here.