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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SOCGER
Kansas plays Oklahoma for last tournament spot
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
Senior forward Caroline Kastor drives the ball downfield. The Jayhawks will compete against Oklahoma on Nov. 1 for the last spot in the Big 12 Tournament.
I STELLA LIANG
sliang@kansan.com
The goal is simple for the soccer team—win. If the Kansas soccer team does not beat, or tie, the Oklahoma Sooners in its last regular season match on Friday, the season will be over. Kansas (6-10-2, 1-5-1) sits in eighth place, out of nine, in the conference, and opponent Oklahoma (4-12-1, 1-6) is at the bottom of the stands.
The Big 12 Tournament, which will start on Nov. 6, accepts the top eight teams in the league. Kansas and Oklahoma will be playing for the last spot in their matchup on Friday. The tournament will be held at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Mo. For the last 16 years, the tournament has been played in San Antonio.
Kansas heads into this match on a two-game losing streak where it has not scored a goal. In conference play, the Jayhawks have been out-scored 7-2, with both goals coming from their victory against Baylor.
The Sooners have not fared any better. Their lone conference win was against TCU on Oct. 18. However, they come in with some momentum from their last game, which was a hard-fought, double-overtime loss to conference leader West Virginia.
On their senior night, the Sooners kept West Virginia scoreless in the first half and struck first on a goal from junior forward Daisy Cardona in the second half. West Virginia tied the game up midway through the second half and eventually scored the game-winner in the 101st minute of the match.
Cardona leads the team in goals with five. Redshirt freshman Kassie Stade has 67 saves for the season and a .698 save percentage.
Fridays matchup is also senior
night for the Jayhawks. The game will be the last home match for forward Caroline Kastor and defenders Madi Hillis and Shannon Renner. Kastor currently leads the team with six goals. Her 26 career goals put her in a tie for second place on Kansas' all-time goal scoring chart. If the team avoids a loss, the se>
son will continue. Kansas hosts Oklahoma Friday at 3 p.m. The match will be the last home game held at Jayhawk Soccer Complex. Next season, the team will move to Rock Chalk Park when it's completed.
- Edited by Hannah Barling
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
Coach Bonnie Henrickson watches from the sidelines as the Jayhawks play against Pittsburg State on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Kansas won the game 84-54.
Lamaria Cole shines in on-court debut against Pittsburg State
EVAN DUNBAR
edunbar@kansan.com
Lamaria Cole knew she had some big shoes to fill this season. With the departure of standout Angel Goodrich, the starting point
guard spot for the women's basketball team would likely be hers to lose.
Cole
If she had any nerves Wednesday night in her first career start, she didn't show it. Cole, a sophomore guard, shone in an 85-54 victory against Pittsburg State in an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse. Cole said she was excited about starting.
"Going from not playing at all to playing a lot more, I was excited," Cole said.
Cole came out with high energy and scored on a driving layup on the Jayhawks' second possession of the game. Two possessions later, she cut to the basket and scored on an assist from Asia Boyd - starting an 8-0 run early in the game for the Jayhawks.
"Last year I didn't play under control at all." Cole said. "After watching Angel [Goodrich] and seeing how she controls the floor, I learned a lot."
One of the biggest questions with Cole coming into this season was her ability to handle the basketball. In her 45 total minutes played as a freshman, Cole had 16 turnovers. That averages out to just under one turnover for every three minutes she was on the floor last season. Against Pittsburg State, she ran the offense effectively, turning the ball over only three times in 26 minutes on the floor while recording three assists.
"While waiting her turn, she's developed discipline," coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "It has allowed her to be successful tonight, and it will be the reason she has success [in the future]."
Towards the end of the first half Cole went coast-to-coast after a missed free throw by Pittsburg State's Lizzy Jeronimus. Cole forced an inbound violation on the Gorillas after a basket by Markisha Hawkins and, on the next possession for Kansas, scored on another coast-to-coast drive to
the basket, showing her quickness by sidestepping a defender. She finished the game with 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting, joining four other jayhawks in double figures.
"Man, she's fast," Pittsburg State coach Lane Lord said. "I thought she took care of the ball very well and I thought she really harassed us all night long. She had a great first start."
Cole came out hot to start the second half for the Jayhawks as well. She scored on the Jayhawks' first possession and then drove the lane and dished the ball to Chelsea Gardner for an easy layup.
After a missed shot by the Gorillas, Cole once again went coast-to-coast for two points. After the basket, Pittsburgh State called a timeout, and Cole looked to the fans and let out a yell of passion.
"I thought for [Lamaria] to push in transition and take care of the ball was good," Henrickson said. "She has the speed and athleticism that we need in this league to be successful."
Kansas plays its final exhibition game against Emporia State on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m.
Edited by Hannah Barling
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