THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
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Defense continues to make strides this year
SOCCER
NICOLE EVANS
nevans@kansan.com
Sophomore defender Caroline Van Slambrouck retrieves a pass during a game at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
Despite getting hounded by corners and shot attempts in the final minutes of the game, the Kansas defense held strong and prevailed to ensure a Jayhawk victory against Oklahoma State last Friday. The defensive unit for Kansas stood firm and focused for many matches this season and hopes to continue throughout 2012.
Strengthen the defending side of the pitch was a goal for Kansas coming into this season. Last year the Jayhawks gave up 46 goals on 334 shot attempts. Kansas only had one shutout on the season. The team knew it gave up too many chances and wanted to shut that down this season. So far the Jayhawks have managed to do just that.
The Jayhawks defense improved their style of play greatly and returned many of the same players from last year's squad. And with half the season already battled through, the statistics reflect the improvement.
So far Kansas has allowed 10 goals on 98 shots. The team has only been shut out once but forced three shutouts of its own by senior goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau and sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud.
RENEE DUMLER/KANSAN
"Just staying defensively sound in the back, I think that's a major key to it," senior defender Shelby Williamson said.
With key senior defender Cassie Dickerson getting injured early in the season, Kansas was forced to be flexible and creative with their lineup in the back. Kansas found the strength it needed in its rotation of defensive powerhouses. Senior Shelby Williamson, juniors Madi Hillis and Shannon Renner, and sophomore Caroline Van Slambrouck have all stepped up and stopped all types of offensive threats that opponents have tried to throw at the Jayhawks this season.
"Most people don't enjoy playing the defensive side of it," Williamson said. "We're the last line of defense besides Stroud or Kat, so we have to communicate with
everyone in front of us and keep everyone organized."
Making their conference play debut against Oklahoma State,
holding defensively was a key to winning the match. The Cowgirls started off quickly, rushing the ball at the defense, trying to
create a chance to get at Stroud. The Cowgirls favored running down the left sideline to try and create plays, but Van Slambrouck
had other plans.
Van Slambrouck broke up many plays before they had a chance to get set up, tackling girls and getting the ball out of play before it became a threat. Williamson also ensured the Cowgirls would score one goal, clearing the balls away as they came near her and staying a constant presence on the field. Stroud stayed focus and added five saves that game, bringing her total for the season up to eight.
"We just want to stay and keep our momentum forward," Williamson said.
Defensive stamina paired with offensive awareness and well-placed goals ensured that the Jayhawks would come off the pitch with a victory last weekend, opening up conference play with a win. The Jayhawks will need both sides of the ball to raise their level of play a notch and to play to their best ability as they travel on the road to battle two more teams from the Big 12 this weekend.
Jayhawks ready for their first road trip
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
NICOLE EVANS
nevans@kansan.com
After making a noticeable start in conference play with a win, the competition the jayhawks will face won't lessen up as they hit the road for the first time this season, traveling down to Texas for a two-game weekend.
Kansas opened up conference play by hosting the Cowgirls of Oklahoma State, a team that carried a three-game winning streak and most recently coming off of a shutout before facing the Jayhawks. Kansas broke that streak after they gained a 2-1 victory last Friday, handing Oklahoma State their second loss of the season while the Jayhawks improved their record to 7-2-1.
Cowgirls All-American goalie Adrianna Franch, who boasts four shutouts this season, was not enough to handle the power brought to the pitch by the Kansas forwards. Freshman forward Courtney Dickerson scored the lone goal for the first half, finding the net early in the 4th minute.
Oklahoma State didn't equalize until the second half, but Kansas left no room for celebration as senior forward Whitney Berry scored only a handful of seconds afterwards. Berry made the most of the penalty kick set up after teammate Sarah Robbins was fouled. That goal was enough to allow Kansas' determination to prevail, despite the Cowgirls' numerous desperate attempts to batter the box throughout the remainder of the match. Kansas starts off with a winning 1-0 record in conference play and have no plans of slowing down this weekend.
"It felt amazing," senior Shelby Williamson said. "Probably the greatest win so far because it was so exciting."
Kansas will take on a sound Baylor squad this Friday. The Bears
currently hold a record of 9-1-2,
their only loss coming early in the
season against Long Beach State.
Baylor remains undefeated at
home, running on an eight-game
unbeaten streak.
Strong both offensively and defensively, along with not being afraid to play aggressively with 150 fouls already this season, the Bears will prove to be a good test of Kansas' mental and physical skill. Last season, Kansas fell to the Bears 1-0 after competing in double overtime.
"We can't allow other teams to dictate how we play," coach Mark Francis said. "Baylor will close you down and knock you off your rhythm, so we've got to focus on what we want to do and what our game plan is and not allow other teams to dictate that for us."
Kansas will need to maximize its many scoring talents to get past the brick wall that Baylor's goals have proved to be. The Bears have only allowed five goals on the season, half of what Kansas has allowed, and the Bears have eight shutouts so far this season. Kansas has had five different players score this season and eight players credited for assists. The Jahways have scored 21 goals so far and have the talent to keep that number increasing as the season progresses.
The Jayhaws will travel to Fort Worth on Sunday to face the Horned Frogs of TCU for the first
time. While Kansas welcomes TCU into the Big 12, they also plan to show the Horned Frogs the high level of competition they've joined, as Kansas will be the second conference team the Horned Frogs will face so far this season. The Frogs are 5-4-1 on the year, recently losing on the road to Denver in overtime. They will host West Virginia before facing the Jayhawks. TCU had a three-game winning streak going before succumbing to Denver.
The Horned Frogs have allowed eight goals on the season, only scoring 11 themselves. They've had four different players score for them, with junior forward Brittany Slyman leading the team with three goals. Kansas' leading scorer, junior forward/midfielder Caroline
"We've just gotta keep doing the things that we've been doing, but in the attacking third we've got to be more precise" Francis said.
Kastor, has seven. The Horned Frogs also have five shutouts so far - a statistic Kansas hopes stays stagnant while they're in town.
The Jayhawks are confident that their talent and unity as a team will help them prevail this weekend. The Jayhawks will face Baylor on Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on TCU Sunday at 1 p.m.
- Edited by Stéphane Roque
RENEE DUMLER/KANSAN
Senior Forward Whitney Berry kicks the ball after the Jayhawks received possesion during a game at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.