8B THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
SOCCER
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31. 2005
Ending with a bang
Ryian Howe/KANSAN
Senior forward Caroline Smith moves around Missouri freshman defender Kat Tarr toward the ball. Smith scored the 50th goal of her career early in the match. The five seniors — Nicole Braman, Erin Ferguson, Kimberly Kartonta, Jessica Smith and Caroline Smith — won their final home game at Jayhawk Soccer Complex on a double-overtime goal by junior defender Holly Gault.
BY DREW DAVISON
ddavison@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTSWRIVER
The five soccer seniors could not have left the Jayhawk Soccer Complex more pleased Friday.
Before the match, forward Nicole Braman, goalkeeper Erin Ferguson and forwards Kimberly Karfonta, Caroline Smith and Jessica Smith were honored.
Kansas ended the regular season by beating Missouri 3-2 in double overtime on Senior Day with the game-winning goal from junior defender Holly Gault.
ing. She notched her first
Kansas soccer coach Mark Francis said the senior class would graduate as one of the most successful KU classes, in terms of its tenure and what the program accomplished.
"They've all done an awesome job." Francis said.
Caroline Smith, an Edina, Minn., native, scored the 50th goal of her career in the season finale.
"I waited to get it today because it was senior day and against Missouri," Smith said.
She said despite the seniors being honored, the most important part of the weekend was getting a victory over Missouri.
Smith will leave as Kansas' all-time leader in points, goals, assists, game-winning goals and shots.
Braman, a Niwot, Colo., native who transferred to Ohio State, saience at Kansa
"I just remember the excitement of every player, whether they played and made a huge impact or made an impact just by cheering."
Erin Ferguson Kansas senior goalkeeper
Kansas from d her experi- is was amaz-
ched her first goal of the year in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 2 against Iowa State.
Jessica Smith, co-captain and Wichita native, will leave Kansas with a hat trick to remember this year. She scored three goals against O k l a h o m a State on Oct. 7 in Kansas's 4-1 victory.
"I would like to thank my teammates for always opening their hearts and minds to
who I am and what I stand for." Smith said.
Karfonta will be remembered as the only KU player capable of performing a round-off backflip after she scored a goal.
The only time the Edmond, Okla., native did not perform the backflip was on her game-winning goal against Texas on Oct. 23.
That game was the Jayhawks' first victory over the Longhorns in school history.
Throughout her career, she has been a key contributor and added depth to the team.
Ferguson, a Glen Elyn, Ill,
native, said her favorite memory
was when Kansas won the Big 12 Championship last
year.
"The best memories of all have been the friends I have made," Karfonta said. "I know that I have 23 friends for the
rest of my life."
"I just remember the excitement of every player, whether they played and made a huge impact or made an impact just by cheering." Ferguson said.
There is a possibility the team will play again in Lawrence, depending on how well it does at the Big 12 Tournament in San Antonio. If Friday was the last time the seniors played at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, all have left with great memories.
Kansas finished in a four-team tie for second place.
Edited by Katie Lohrenz
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Soccer
All five seniors' parents were introduced before the game for the Jayhawks' most stress-inducing game of the season.
Playing to keep its season alive, Missouri (9-7-3, 3-5-2 Big 12) fell behind, tied the game and took the lead in the back-and-forth match.
"It's huge," Kansas soccer coach Mark Francis said. "And being a Kansas-Missouri game, there's always a lot of emotion in that game, even if there is nothing on the line outside of that. Obviously, for the seniors, too, we wanted to win it for them."
Caroline Smith had Kansas on the board within the third minute on senior Jessica Smith's assist. Caroline Smith's eighth goal of the season marked the 50th of her career.
"V
ers deflected it.
"I just wanted to get it today." Smith joked after the game. "It was senior day against Missouri. But like I've said, the goals and that stuff doesn't really matter. We got the 'W' and that's what is important."
Smith's early goal highlighted an abundance of offensive movement, but the spark was not consistent.
Missouri seniors Amber Swineheart and Jennifer Nobis teamed up in the 22nd minute for Swineheart's 12th goal of the season to tie the game at one.
"When they equalized, I think the momentum shifted," Francis said. "They really picked it up and we kind of backed off a little bit."
You've got to give Missouri credit. They didn't quit regardless of the score and the situation. They kept themselves in the game."
Missouri took a 2-1 lead not even a minute into the second half.
This would mark the end of Missouri's offense.
Swinehart and Nobis teamed up again, only this time switching roles. Nobis tallied her seventh goal of the season, tapping the ball in after Kansas defend-
Another ten minutes passed before Kansas tied the score, but the shift in pace changed immediately. The Iyawhaves refused to lose.
Mark Francis KU soccer coach
It started with Michelle Rasmussen, a junior from South Dakota, driving in a jaw-dropping beauty from 25 yards out. Rasmussen tied the game with the goal in the 57th minute.
"You can tell when you hit it when you strike a ball well." Rasmussen said. "It was fun and a good goal."
From half-time to Gault's 104th-minute clincher, the Kansas offense nearly tripled its first half shot count. Kansas outshot Missouri 30-13 and doubled its shot on goal count
14-7.
"They went ahead and I think that gave us a little bit of fire under our butts," Francis said. "After we tied it up, I think we dominated the rest of the half."
In true All-American form, Smith shot 12 times in the match, seven of which were on goal. One actually was a goal, and she took time to pick up her eighth assist.
"You've got to give Missouri credit," Francis said. "They didn't quit regardless of the score and the situation. They kept themselves in the game."
By the time Gault nailed the golden goal in double overtime, the 600-plus fans in attendance sounded more like 6,000 fans roaring in celebration.
"It was great to beat Missouri on our own field," Smith said. "The possibility that we could have ended Missouri's season makes it even sweeter. It's good to watch Missouri go home with a loss."
— Edited by Katie Lohrenz