AN
09
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009
NEWS
9B
SOCCER
Team in the shadows: failing to measure up to last year
BY JOEL PETTERSON jpetterson@kansan.com
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
Senior forward Shannon McCabe uses the assistance of others to get off the field before the game. McCabe injured herself in warm-ups before the game against Missouri.
At the beginning of this season, the soccer players marked the end of each practice by yelling their goal into the air: "Big 12 Champs!"
But over the course of the season, that chant faded. Eventually, it wasn't heard at all. When the year ended, Kansas stood tied for eighth place in the conference and barely slipped into the Big 12 Tournament. The team was eliminated in the first round. Hopes for a berth in the NCAA Tournament, which the team had achieved last year, vanished as well.
"Last year, we did those things, so I felt like we reasonably could do those things again," senior forward Kim Boyer said. "Unfortunately we didn't get any of those goals."
Last year's team made the semifinals of the Big 12
"I think we just got really unlucky with some stuff, and we got tired. You could tell, like on Sunday games, definitely."
most notably those to senior forward Shannon McCabe and freshman Amy Grow. But those injuries weren't much different from a typical season.
Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2004.
SHELBY WILLIAMSON freshman midfielder
"Once we started losing and getting into conference play, I don't feel like we changed anything to
But Kansas failed to come close to last year's success. Now, at the season's close, the team must address several questions. First, why did it fall so far short of its goal? Second, how it can change next year? Some players put it down to inconsistency or bad luck, but it's hard to put a finger on what exactly caused them to fall short of their own expectations.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Cressy attempts to get a shot off against the Colorado goal keeper. Despite outshooting Colorado 20-7, the Jayhawks fell to the Buffaloes 1-0.
Sure, the team had some injuries
Sure, the team had some exhausting road stretches. On one occasion, the team played two road games for three weeks in a row. However, every Big 12 team faced that obstacle.
Boyer said she thought the team lacked a must-win intensity until the last three games of the season. According to her, that sentiment starts at the top.
motivate us or do something different to instill that drive to win," she said. "I can blame myself, too, because I could have spoken up, too. I think we needed to do some team reflecting sometimes."
Ryan Waggoner/KANSAN
It isn't like the Jayhawks' opponents completely outperformed them, however. Six of the team's eight losses were by just one goal. Freshman midfielder Shelby Williamson chalked the losses up to exhaustion and bad fortune.
"I think we just got really unlucky with some stuff, and we got tired," Williamson said. "You could tell, like on Sunday games, definitely."
points and goals lists.
absence of the five seniors who formed the team's core this year. The team will have to readjust to life without Monica Dolinsky and Shannon McCabe, who have worked their way onto the program's top 10
Whether the sub-par season was due to consistency, leadership, fitness or just bad luck, it's nevertheless behind the team now. The biggest change for next year will be the
"We're losing some key players, but hopefully we have a class come in that can fill that," said Williamson.
Next year's class won't be
announced until early 2010, but coach Mark Francis already has a promising class of freshmen from this year that will provide a new foundation for the team. Freshmen Williamson, Whitney Berry and
Sarah Robbins should be joined next year by classmate Amy Grow, who sat out this year with an injury.
Edited by Brenna M. T. Daidorph
Freshman midfielder Shelby Williamson rips a shot in the game against Missouri. Williamson had one goal in the 3-2 win.
Soccer stars, team leaders, success stories shine from each class
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior Estelle Johnson - This one was a tos-up between Johnson and junior Lauren Jackson. Both were cornerstones of Kansas' defense all year long, but
Johnson
Johnson, a captain and four-year starter, provided an anchor for the unit with her leadership. She was also named to the All-Big 12 Second Team at the end of the season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore Emily Cressy - Cressy,
a 2008 Soccer Buzz and Soccer
a 2008 Soccer Buzz and Soccer
American
American,
built on her
success from
last year
year to lead
the team's offense
in Senior
Shannon
McCabe's
absence.
Cressy scored a team-high 11 goals, the most by a Kansas player since 2004. After scoring two goals against regular season champions Missouri, Cressy earned CollegeSoccer360.com's Top Performer and big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Cressy
has your squad after Missy Geha and Jessica Bush graduated. So this year, Dolinsky was the clear focal point of Kansas' offense, especially in the beginning of the year. She led the team in assists for
Senior Monica Dolinsky - Dolinksy was the lone returning midfielder from
Dolinsky
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
the second year in a row with nine,
and racked up numerous awards
during the year, including Big 12
Offensive Player of the Week, and
a spots TopDrawerssoccer.com, Soccer
America, and CollegeSoccer360.com's
Team of the Week.
Williamson, Berry, and Robbins all
had impressive freshman seasons. Williamson adjusted quickly to college soccer, and her physicality helped balance the midfield with Dolinsky. She also had a knack for finding space from her midfield position and firing off long-range shots. Her goal against Missouri earned her the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award Nov. 3.
MOST VALUABLE FRESHMAN Shelby Williamson - Both
Williamson
Joel Petterson
Freshman midfielder Whitney Berry slams a ball in a tense game. Berry earned All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team selections.
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