MONDAY,AUGUST 19,2002
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN * 5B
Soccer team aims for success
Higher expectations tougher conference fuel team's drive
By Nikki Overfelt
Kansan sportswriter
The KU women's soccer team has a hard act to follow after an all-time best season record of 13-7 and its first NCAA tournament appearance.
But coach Mark Francis said he is not worried.
Francis also said that getting back to the NCAA tournament is an obvious and attainable goal.
"We don't feel any pressure at all," he said. "Pressure is what we put on ourselves. We are excited."
"I think if we do things right and take it one game at a time, we can do that," he said.
FILE PHOTO
Francis said this year's team will have the challenge of meeting raised expectations after last year's success.
"This year we are not going to surprise anybody," he said. "Our challenge is going to be not taking anyone else for granted."
That could be difficult, Francis said, because the Big 12 Conference would provide more competition this year.
"The Big 12 will be even tougher this year," he said. "We are better, but everyone else is too."
Another challenge this team will face is the loss of three seniors from last year's team. Francis said playing without Natalie Hoogveld and Melanie Shroeder would be tough, not to mention forward Hilla Rantala, last season's lead scorer.
The Kansas soccer team saw its first NCAA tournament birth last season and will try to make the tournament again. They will have to do it without the efforts of Pardale Brunner.
Francis has plenty of players to fill the void, though. He said one of his key forwards would be sophomore Rachel Giffillan, who started just three games last year but was the team's No. 3 scorer and best forward for the team in the spring.
Along with Smith and Karfonta, Holly Ryder, midfielder, and Jessica Smith, forward, are incoming recruits. Ryder, Caroline Smith and Jessica Smith are all high school All-Americans.
Nikki Wahle, senior defender and co-captain, believes that the addition of these freshmen gives the team more of a chance to make the NCAA tournament. She said the freshmen were confident despite their inexperience
"The freshmen came in strong," she said. "They are not shy to step up and comete."
Besides replacing last year's seniors, the team must also replace senior defender and midfielder Pardis Brown.
Brown is out for the season after suffering too many concussions. Stacy Leeper, sophomore defender, is also indefinitely with back problems.
Despite these losses and the rigor of two-a-day practices which started Wednesday, the team was excited about the upcoming season.
should show improvement from last year.
Brianna Valento, senior defender and co-captain, said that the team was off to a good start and believed they
Lindsay Hunting, senior midfielder and captain, said the team was feeling more confident and should have more depth than last year.
Francis said that practices have been going well so far.
"I'm very impressed with the level of intensity and how they have supported one another," he said.
The team will begin its quest to return to the NCAA tournament Aug. 23 in an exhibition game against Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, Mo. The team's first regular season game will be Aug. 30 against UNLV.
Contact Overfelt at noverflet @kansan.com. This story was edited by Nicole Roche.
Two top starters leave Nebraska-Omaha squad
OMAHA, Neb. — Two sizeable gaps have been left in the Nebraska-gaima women's soccer team's attack as two of last season's top three goal-scorsers will not return to the squad for the 2002 season.
Brandy McSorley has been
declared academically ineligible for the upcoming season. McSorley led the Mavericks last season with 22 goals, 53 points and five game-winning goals, two of which came in the North Central Conference postseason tournament.
In addition, Katie Hobbs has left the team for undisclosed personal reasons. Hobbs had 15 goals and 33 points during the 2001 season.
Maverick head coach Don Klostermann said losing the pair would present a challenge to his team, but not one that is insurmountable.
By Paul Freeland
The Gateway, via U-wire
The University of Nebraska-Omaha
"Losing Brandy and Katie equals losing 35 goals from last season." Klosterman said. "It will be a challenge to replace what they brought to the table, but I think it's a challenge we can deal with. Having (Stephan) Kruse and our other players returning
will help us, and as long as we stay with our regular approach and be aggressive. I think this is something we can overcome."
Hobbs was also one of three Maverick players to start every one of UNO's 21 games last season. McSorley was tied for second on the team in assists with nine, even with sophomore Molly Herzberg and three behind junior Stephanie Kirby.
Concussions end KU player's career
By Nikki Overfelt
Kansan sportswriter
Brown said that she has suffered so many concussions that she can get one very easily and unexpectedly now. She said that she gets concussions from a combination of running around and heading the ball.
Pardis Brown, defender midfielder for the women's soccer team, will be watching the games from the sideline this season.
Not being able to play her senior season is a big blow for her.
Brown suffered her seventh concussion while playing a game for the Kansas City Mystics, a National Soccer League team, three weeks ago. If a put a stop to her season and her participation in competitive soccer.
"I'm very disappointed," Brown said. "It (her senior season) just doesn't feel complete. Going from being captain to not playing at all is really hard."
Replacing Brown will be hard for
"it's hard to be in the atmosphere," she said.
But coach Mark Francis is more concerned for Brown personally than for the void he must fill on the field.
Contact Overfelt at noverfelt@kansan.com.
in her sophomore season, she started all 20 games, was named first team All-Central Region by Soccer Buzz Magazine, named second team All Big 12 and received National Soccer Coaches Association of America third team All-Region III honors.
her team. She started 15 of 17 games and was co-captain last season.
"It's very disappointing, more for Pardis than for any other reason," he said. "It's going to affect the team, obviously, but I was more disappointed for her."
But even that is difficult for her when she cannot be out on the field playing the sport she loves.
Brown plans on being around and helping out with the team as much as possible this season.
Wizards lose to Crew, stay last in conference
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —jeff Cunningham and Edson Buddle each scored two goals as the Columbus Crew beat the Kansas City Wizards 4-0 last night.
The win kept the Crew (10-10-4) even with the Chicago Fire at the top of the Eastern Conference. With the loss, their third at home this season, the Wizards (8-8-8) remain at the bottom of the Western conference.
Cunningham opened the scoring for the Crew in the 11th minute, taking a pass across the top of the box from Brian Masseonneuve and putting it past Wizards reserve goalkeeper Bo Oshoniye. Kansas City's usual goal-keeper, Tony Meola, was serving a red
card suspension, his second of the season.
Oshoniji gave up his second goal in the 42nd minute, when Buddle beat Wizards defender Chris Brunt at the top of the box and put it into the right side of the net.
Buddle scored his seventh goal of the year in the 58th minute on a cross from Brian West.
Cunningham's 13th goal of the year came three minutes later. As Buddle charged across the top of the box with the ball, he got a pass off just before he collided with Wizards defender Diego Gutierrez. In the confusion, Cunningham was able to strike the ball past Osonhiyi.
The Wizards rarely threatened, despite outshooting the Crew 16-11.
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