The Kansas City Roos men’s soccer team secured its first NCAA tournament win since 2001 on Thursday night.
Survive and advance was the message as Kansas City took on Saint Louis in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Roos did just that, winning 2-0.
Many Kansas City or St. Louis natives will say that the city rivalry runs deep. Even though St. Louis City SC only began MLS play in 2023, there’s already an established competition between it and Sporting Kansas City. The cross-state soccer rivalry continued on Nov. 21.
Going into Thursday’s match, the Billikens were 11-0-0 against the Roos The Billikens had made the tournament 51 times as opposed to this season being the Roos fourth appearance.
“We’re the best road team in the country for a reason,” said Head Coach Ryan Pore. “We weren’t afraid to play anywhere. Having this opportunity to come play in St. Louis was very exciting for us. I couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”
The two teams had only lost eight combined games on the season. Saint Louis had one of the better defenses in the nation while Kansas City had one of the best offenses.
The first half of play was incredibly slow and after 45 minutes, the game was tied at 0-0. Defense looked to be a key factor in this game. Offensive zone time vastly favored the Billikens as Saint Louis out-shot the Roos 9-3 in the first 45.
As the clock neared 67 minutes played, the Roos were awarded a corner kick. Senior midfielder Julien Le Bourdoulous was the one kicking the ball in.
In nearly the exact same way the Roos beat Denver in the Summit League Championship, Le Bourdoulous put the ball in play and a goal was scored. Except, instead of junior forward Elie Kisoka scoring the goal, it was sophomore defender/midfielder Guille Munoz scoring his first goal of his career.
The second goal of the game came with less than eight minutes left. Sophomore forward Jeremy Francou found a lane and put the ball past the Saint Louis defense. Kisoka got the assist for this goal, giving him a point in the game.
The story of the second half was nearly the opposite of the first. Kansas City had double the shots that Saint Louis did, 10-5.
“This win feels amazing,” said senior goalkeeper Brandon McGaugh. “I’m super excited and happy for the team. But, we’re not done yet. We’re still focused.”
