Preview: UMKC travel to face Pitt in NCAA Tournament

Need to Know – Game 19 (NCAA Round of 16)
No. 2 Pitt (13-5-0, 6-2-0 ACC) vs. Kansas City (14-4-3, 5-2-1 Summit League)
Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 – 4 PM – ESPN+
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Ambrose Urbanic Field

The Kansas City Roos’ men’s soccer team continues their amazing season on Sunday when they face #2 Pittsburgh on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 4 p.m. CT. The Roos have advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

How they got here

UMKC finished second in the Summit League. The Roos had to travel to Denver to face the top team in the Summit League. The Roos came from behind to beat the #4 ranked team in the nation 2-1 in dramatic fashion. The winning goal was scored off a corner kick by Elie Kisoka with just 13 seconds left. UMKC was already looking like they would get an at large bid but winning the Summit League Championship earned them the automatic bid.

The Roos were shortchanged and were not awarded a home game in the first round. Instead, the Roos headed east to face the Saint Louis Billikens. The Billikens were a tough match and UMKC had never defeated them. After a tough first half, the Roos scored twice in the second half to advance the second round.

The road to the Round of 16 matchup saw the Roos travel to Springfield to face #15 Missouri State. UMKC again fell behind early but demonstrated their belief in themselves. With Missouri State leading 1-0 at halftime, Head Coach Ryan Pore made some adjustments in the midfield.    The second half was back and forth with the Roos gaining momentum. Sora Shibata and Ales Kohoutek both scored and the Roos defenders and keeper shut down Missouri States and earning the 2-1 win.

“It’s pretty special,” coach Pore said after the win. “To be able to get to this point in the season says a lot about the guys, their belief in each other and their belief in the coaches.”

Pitt started their season strong but faltered at the end, losing three of their last five in conference play. In the ACC tournament Pitt fell again. Virginia beat Pitt 2-0 in the quarterfinal.

Despite the late season struggles, Pitt’s wins over highly rated opponents earned them the #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Pitt hosted Cornell. Pitt went down a man in the first half but a Cornell hand ball in the box gave Pitt the penalty opportunity. With the man advantage, Cornell put on the pressure in the second half, outshooting Pitt 12-2. That penalty goal from the first half was all Pitt needed to hold on shorthanded.

Why  the Roos can win

Kansas City’s offense has shined, especially set pieces in the last few games. The Roos rank top-five in the NCAA in scoring offense (2.57; 4th), assists per game (2.71; 5th) and points per game (7.86; 3rd). Since the start of November, KC has scored at least two goals in every game.

The Roos have scored two goals in each of their last four matches and six of those eight were in the second half. The Roos have only allowed three in that same stretch, all in the first half of their respective matches. If Pitt is level are only up by one at halftime, they might need to worry.

UMKC was 24^th nationally by RPI. They beat Denver 2^nd RPI),  Saint Louis (37^th RPI), and Missouri State (13^th RPI). All of those were on the road.

Why Pitt can win

Despite Pitt’s inconsistency over their last few matches, they are still a high-quality team. Pitt is 4^th in the RPI and 9^th in the Coaches Poll. They have the ACC Coach and Defender of the year. The team has players that gained NCAA Tournament experience last year. That was a first round loss so maybe it does not help much.

UMKC keeper Brandon McGaugh controlled the box | Credit: Thad Bell