Kansas City Roos midfielder Kazuki Kimura led the way with three attempted shots (Julia Kapros/RooNews)
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.
During the 50th minute, Graduate forward Philipp Basara almost made the game-tying goal on a clean header, but just hit the crossbar.
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.
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.