The Kansas City Roos men’s soccer team is heading to the Summit League Championship Tournament Finals after beating number one seed, Denver.
The team’s match against the 23rd-ranked Denver Pioneers went down to the very last second, even beyond.
After falling down 0-2 in the 18th minute, the Roos rallied with three unanswered goals. However, in the 74th minute, the Pioneers found the back of the net to even the score.
Any normal college soccer game would end after 90 minutes, but this one was different. Overtime in college soccer is rare because it only happens in tournament games. This match wasn’t even decided in double overtime. It had to go to penalty kicks.
Typically, penalty kicks are a best-of-five situation, where each team alternates who kicks. Whoever has more after five tries – three or four if one of the teams misses multiple – wins. Even five kicks wasn’t enough to decide this match.
Both teams hit their first three attempts, missed their fourth, and made their fifth. In that case, they continue attempting penalty kicks until one team makes and the other misses. Both teams missed their sixth kick.
On the Pioneers’ seventh kick, Roos sophomore goalkeeper Robin Balters stood his ground. Freshman midfielder Miguel Fernandez then went on to hit the game-winning shot for Kansas City.
Denver was the top-ranked team in the Summit League and only lost two matches all season, going undefeated in regular season conference play. Not only that, but the team was ranked number 23 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
This win was the biggest for Kansas City since beating Creighton 2-1 on Sept. 12. Creighton made a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Men’s College Cup in 2022.
On Nov. 11, the Roos will play for an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Men’s College Cup. Its opponent will be the Omaha Mavericks and its stage will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Both of the Roos’ regular season matches against Omaha resulted in draws. This match, however, is for the Summit League Championship. Should Kansas City win, it would be the team’s first Summit League Championship victory since 2008.
The furthest the Roos have advanced in the College Cup was the second round in 2001, where it lost 2-1 to the Saint Louis Billikens. Of course, the team’s main focus right now is beating the Mavericks.
Watch the Roos on the Summit League Network, presented by Midco Sports.
