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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SOCCER
Jayhawks aware of underrated Sooner squad
NICOLE EVANS
Junior defender and midfielder Madi Hillis steals the ball from her Missouri State opponent Sep. 7 at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. Kansas defeated Missouri State 4-1
IARA BRYANT/KANSAN
nevans@kansan.com
With only five matches left in regular season play, the Jayhawks need to continue to play their persistent, high-level style of play in order to come out victorious and round out the season on a high note.
The Jayhawks are coming off a draw against 12th-ranked Wake Forest last Sunday. The match extended into double overtime, becoming the second double-overtime game Kansas has played, and the fifth match Kansas has forced into extra minutes this season. The draw became Kansas' second on the season, bringing its record to 8-4-2.
Kansas started the match off quickly, using its speed to attack the goal. Offside penalties dominated the beginning of the match, however, forcing three of Kansas' opportunities to be called back. Wake Forest scored first off a penalty in the 16th minute, and Kansas trailed 0-1 at the half.
The Jayhawks battled back and played with persistent patience in the second half. Their patience was finally rewarded when junior forward Caroline Kastor used her speed to get past the defense and tap the ball into the net off a pass from senior midfielder Amy Grow.
The defensive unit for Kansas held for the rest of regulation and the extra periods, forcing the match to finalize at a 1-1 standstill. Senior goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau snagged three saves in the match, bringing her total to 19 on the season.
"I think we've come out every weekend, ready to play," senior forward Whitney Berry said. "The wins are gonna come, we've just got unlucky on some games."
Kansas remains on the road this weekend, traveling to Norman, Okla., this Friday before going down to Texas to finish off the week. The Oklahoma Sooners host Kansas after playing three games on the road themselves. The Sooners are 4-7-4 on the season, still searching for their first conference win. Kansas is 2-2-0 in conference play. In both losses, the Jayhawks only lost by one goal.
The Sooners are coming off a 4-1 loss to Virginia Tech. They haven't won a match since early September, though all of their victories this season have been on their home soil. In their last match against
Virginia State, five of their six shots were on goal while their goalkeeper made five saves. Though their record doesn't leave much room for boasting, Kansas cannot afford to overlook them.
"I've watched Oklahoma on tape and they're a really good team, better than their record shows," he said. "It'll be a good match."
Head coach Mark Francis said that写itting teams off isn't an issue with this group.
The Texas Longhorns are riding a five-game winning streak, currently holding
Kansas has plenty of offensive weapons to post against 'Texas' rookie goalkeeper. Two of its offensive powerhouses - freshman forward Ashley Williams and Kastor - have both received offensive honors this year. Both girls have played reliably this season, continually increasing their level of play throughout the year and never letting off. Kastor leads the team with nine
a record of 6-6-1 overall while remaining unbeaten in conference play. Kansas marks Texas' second-to-last home game of the season.
goals this year, and Williams follows close behind with seven. It will be up to these two, plus the rest of the offensive squad, to get past Smith.
Kansas is also strong both defensively and between the pipes. Kansas welcomed the return of senior defender Cassie Dickerson last week, where she became a brick wall that Wake Forest struggled to break past. Kansas' two goalkeepers — sophomore Kaitlyn Stroud and Liebetra
- have amassed 41 saves and three shutouts between them, making it difficult
opponents to score.
"We're playing really confident right now, so we just have continue that to win games," Francis said.
Kansas will face the Sooners at 7 p.m. on Friday before battling the Longhorns at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
—Edited by Stéphane Roque
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
(Left) Midfielder Sarah Robbins battles for a header against a Mountaineer forward. The Jayhawks fought a hard battle against West Virginia on Oct. 5 but were defeated 1-0.
(Bottom) Forward Jamie Fletcher breaks through the West Virginia defensive line. The Jayhawks had an intense match against the Big 12 newcomers on Oct. 5 but ultimately lost.
(Top) Forward Jamie Fletcher dribbles the ball around a Denver defender.The Jayhawks lost to Denver Sept. 14 in a 0-1 defeat.
(Right) Forward Jamie Fletcher smashes into a West Virginia player while going up for a header. The Jayhawks had multiple opportunities around the Mountaineer goal but could not finish on top.
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