Sept. 30, 2009 – In the Truman men’s soccer team’s seventh straight road contest, junior forward Matt Kimball came off the bench and scored the game’s only goal in the 67th minute to propel the 10th-ranked Bulldogs past Rockhurst (Mo.) University, 1-0, on Wednesday night in Kansas City.
Freshman goalkeeper Tyler Knierim made eight key saves to help Truman – who moved to 7-1-1 on the season – wrap up a 6-0-1 road trip that spanned the month of September.
After a scoreless first half that saw RU (6-4) take a 6-5 shot advantage, Kimball (Kirkwood, Mo.; Kirkwood) notched his second tally on the season with 23:43 to play by slipping a shot inside the right post. Kimball was set up by teammate Bobby Larkin (St. Louis, Mo.; Parkway), who secured his second assist – and team-high tenth point – of the season.
But in a match that saw the Bulldogs put only two of their 14 total shots on the net, it was Knierim (Hartsburg, Mo.; Southern Boone) who stepped up on the end line by stopping eight Hawk attempts. It was the redshirt freshman’s fifth solo shutout of the 2009 campaign, and the 90 minutes of scoreless action lowered his overall goals-against-average to 0.37 in eight starts.
The Bulldogs out-shot Rockhurst, 14-13, but RU held an 8-2 difference in shots on goal. Despite Truman ending on the higher side of a 12-11 foul count, it was the purple and white that maintained its cool, as the host Hawks were saddled with four yellow cards during the match and an additional red card after the final whistle.
The eight-match unbeaten streak ties a similar mark set from Aug. 31– Sep. 30, 2007, for the squad, who will return home for the first time since late-August for a showdown against Northeastern Oklahoma State (5-2) on Friday afternoon. The South Central regional match is set for a 12 pm kickoff.