Fourth-seeded Roos stun top-seeded Pioneers to advance via penalty kicks

TULSA, Okla. -- Fourth-seeded Kansas City stunned top-seeded Denver in the opening semifinal of the #SummitMSOC Championship Thurday afternoon at the Case Soccer Complex, advancing via a 5-4 shootout victory after regulation ended in a 3-3 draw.

This marks the second consecutive season the Roos knocked off the No. 1 seed in the tournament and the first time the Pioneers have lost a semifinal match in 10 tournament appearances.

A high-scoring first half left the match squared at 2-2 after the opening 45 minutes. Denver's Oje Ofunrein converted the Pioneers' first shot on goal when his header snuck inside the far post as he finished a long cross from Ian Smith. He would score his second of the match in the 18th minute to put Denver ahead 2-0.

Less than a minute after Ofunrein cemented his brace, the Roos had an answer as Christian Koffi tallied his first goal of the season to cut their deficit in half. KC's Julien Le Bourdoulous would even things up in the 31st minute when he finished a cross from Carson Lindsey, who also assisted on Koffi's goal.

Kansas City took its first lead of the match at 3-2 when when Mael Caisson scored off a corner kick from Le Bourdoulous in the 57th minute.

Denver's Sam Bassett sent a free kick from just outside the penalty box off the post in the 63rd minute that would have drawn things even again.

The Roos would hold the lead until Ofunrein would net the equalizer in the 74th minute to make it a 3-3 contest. The Round Rock, Texas native recorded his second hat trick of the season and seventh in tournament history. This goal came after Robin Balters made a diving stop off Ian Smith's initial shot but Ofunrein was in the right spot and put the rebound away. Smith was credited with his second assist.

Ofunrein had a good look at his fourth goal in the waning minutes of regulation but his attempt went just wide as things remained tied after 90 minutes of play.

The Pioneers controlled both overtime period but could not put any of their six shots on goal as the game remained tied after 110 minutes of play.

In the shootout, both teams scored on their first three tries before Balters and DU goalkeeper Isaac Nehme made saves in the fourth round. Both teams made their fifth attempts before Balters and Nehme made saves again in the sixth round. Balters stopped Lukas Fisher's attempt in round seven before Miguel Fernandez put his attempt by a diving Nehme to send the Roos to the title match.

Kansas City will play the winner of Thursday's second semifinal between second-seeded Oral Roberts and third-seeded Omaha. The #SummitMSOC Championship match is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Case Soccer Complex.

Turning Point

KC goalkeeper Robin Balters made his third save of the penalty shootout, securing a title-match berth for the Roos who had lost to Denver in the previous two tournaments.

Inside the box score

The teams combined for four first-half goals after only putting five combined shots on goal. DU's Isaac Nehme made the only save during the opening 45 minutes. Nehme finished with four saves, while Balters made three for the Roos.
Oje Ofunrein registered his third multi-goal game of the season and increased his team lead in the category to 11. He had a brace on Sept. 1 in a 3-1 win over SMU and had a hat trick in a 4-0 win over UC San Diego on Sept. 8.
Ofunrein's hat trick was the seventh in tournament history and first since 2013 when Denver's Zach Bolden had one against IUPUI in a semifinal match that season.
Koffi (19th) and Caisson (57th) both scored their first goals of the season for Kansas City, while Le Bourdoulous equaled the team lead with his third.
Kansas City's Carson Lindsey recorded two assists for the Roos becoming the 16th player to do that in a Summit League Tournament match. The last player was Omaha's Diego Gutierrez in a semifinal win over Western Illinois in 2019.

News & Notes

DU's loss was just the program's second in 10 tournament appearances and first in the semifinals. The Pioneers only previous loss was in the 2017 title game to Omaha, which also came after a penalty shootout.
DU had allowed only four total goals in 18 previous tournament matches before surrendering three to the Roos in regulation.
Kansas City defeated the top seed for the second consecutive season after beating Oral Roberts 3-2 in double-overtime a season ago.
The Roos will take aim at their fourth tournament title and are making their ninth overalll appearance in the trophy tilt.

#SummitMSOC