October 18, 2008 | Box Score
Kansas City, KS-The Graceland men's soccer team had an incredible opportunity Saturday afternoon. On a special invitation from former Jacket star Kevin Souter's new MLS team the Kansas City Wizards, Graceland was invited to play at Community America Ballpark prior to the Kansas City Wizards matchup with the San Jose Earthquakes. The Jackets hosted conference rival Missouri Valley in a very exciting and physical battle. Graceland was able to score late in the second half to give them a 2-1 win on the afternoon.
On a day where the Jackets came out very sluggish in the first half, the Vikings would strike first blood in the 11th minute on a nice cross from Carlos Arribas to Roderick Owusu. That tallied the only Viking goal of the game and gave them the early 1-0 advantage. Graceland would counter in the 26th minute as senior Matt Klaus (Kearney, MO) found the back of the net tieing the game 1-1. The game would remain that way late into the second half when junior forward Jeffrey Darkwah (Brampton, Ontario) was able to score on a corner kick in the 89th minute from Brian Loving (St. Joseph, MO). That gave the Jackets the goal they needed for the victory. With the win Graceland now stands at 8-3-2 overall and 4-0-2 in HAAC play.
"Today was an extremely physical game," stated Coach Monroy following the contest. "That was probably the hardest we've had to fight for a win from start to finish all season. The environment that both teams were able to play in today before the Wizards game really made it a special day for our guys. Between the win, the fan support we had today and the hospitality from the people in the Kansas City Wizards organization it really made the day an unforgettable one," concluded Monroy.
The Jacket will next go out of conference as they'll travel to Sioux City, IA to take on Morningside University Tuesday afternoon at 1pm. Stay in tuned to the Jacket athletics website for continuing coverage on the Graceland University men's soccer team and all Jacket athletics.
For More Information on Graceland University Athletics Contact:
Matt Shelton, Sports Information Director
(641) 784-5318
mshelton@graceland.edu
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