PAGE 68
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012
SOCCER
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Berry making most of senior season
NICOLE EVANS
nevans@kansan.com
A constant positive factor on the pitch, senior forward/midfielder Whitney Berry has made her face and name known amongst opponents and the home crowd alike as an energetic, talented soccer player who is driven to win.
Kansas just came off a less than favorable outcome against the Arizona State Sun Devils, drawing 2-2 even after playing two extra periods of overtime. Berry saved the team from an even less-desired outcome, scoring in the 85th minute with an assist from fellow senior midfielder Amy Grow, tipping the match to its final tail. Kansas gained their first tie of the season, bringing their record to 4-1-1, but their goal overall has not changed, as they host two more teams this weekend.
weekend and the team to play better than we did last weekend."
"Our goal is to win," Berry said. "I think that is always the goal. I mean, to play better than I played last
Even though only six games have passed, Berry has shown no mercy to opponents, always being a presence on the field, whether it is creating chances, providing plays or gaining goals. She has started every game, both scoring and assisting two goals. She's had almost 50 percent of her shots on target, always forcing the goalkeeper to stay on their toes.
Not only is she an offensive presence, but she is also an inspiration to her teammates, constantly keeping everyone energized and focused with her relentless style of play and energy. Berry claims it is a natural reaction while she is playing.
"I think I've always had that mentality, but I think a lot of it is just the run of the play" Berry said. "When something happens, it'll fire you up a little bit more, and it keeps you going."
Berry has played soccer since she
was only five years old. She has a lot of experience underneath her cleats, playing for numerous club teams and Goddard's high school team be fore dawning the Crimson and Blue four years ago. She doesn't want to stop there, though, hoping one day to play on the professional stage. She also hasn't forgotten what made her first love playing this rigorous sport so much.
Forward/midfielder Whitney Berry charges downfield toward a UC Santa Barbara defender in the Jayhawks' opening game. The Jayhawks won the game 2-1 in overtime.
TYLER ROSTE/KANSAN
"My favorite part is the intensity and the adrenaline rush that I get while playing," Berry said.
With so much experience, and so much positive recognition and crucial attributions already this season, it may be hard for fans to fathom Berry needing to improve on anything. But a true, dedicated player always recognizes the room for improvement and always strives to be better than they were a game before. Berry is exactly that, as she admits she still wants to grow and harness her talent to its very limits.
"Defensively, I would love to im
prove, because I'm such an attacking-minded player that sometimes I lose sight of the defensive side of it," Berry said.
While soccer has always been a prominent part of her life, it isn't the only thing important to her. Hailing from Wichita, Berry is beginning the victory lap of her schooling career, a
senior who is a community health major. With her time-consuming commitments between school and soccer, Berry's response to what she does in her free time should not come as a surprise to anyone.
"I love to sleep. It's something I love to do when I have time to do it," Berry said with a laugh.
Berry will continue to have the chance to lead her team hopefully to another pair of victories this weekend, when the Jayhawks face Missouri State and North Carolina State on Friday and Sunday.
Edited by Ryan McCarthy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Toronto Blue Jays' Yunel Escobar, right, slides into home plate in front of Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters after a single by Adeiny Hechavarria during the seventh inning of baseball game action in Toronto on Wednesday.
Student Alumni Association The University of Kansas
Home Football Fridays
invites you to
Come tailgate with SAA before every home football game!
Date: Friday, September 7 Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Place: Adams Alumni Center
(across from the Kansas Union parking garage)
- Free Food
- Beverages
- Giveaways
Presented in partnership with
KU CREDIT UNION
A DEPARTMENT OF U.S. FEDERAL CARE FOR U.S. JOBS
A Better Way to Bank | www.kucu.org
TORONTO — Rookie Adeiny Hechaverria drove in the go-ahead run with a burr single, Rajai Davis homered and had three RBIs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Wednesday night to avoid a three-game sweep.
Blue Jays avoid an Orioles sweep with timely hitting
BASEBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Steve Delabar (4-1) worked one inning of relief for the win as the Blue Jays snapped a four-game slide and ended Baltimore's winning streak at three.
Adam Jones hit a solo home run and Mark Reynolds added a two-run drive off Casey Janssen in the ninth, his sixth in six games and 18th of the season, but it wasn't enough for Baltimore.
The Orioles return home Thursday for a pivotal seven-game homestay that begins with four against the New York Yankees, followed by three against Tampa Bay. The three teams were separated by 1 1/2 games atop the AL East entering play Wednesday.
Machado hit a leadoff single in the eighth, chasing Delabar, and Darren Oliver issued a one-out walk to Hardy. Lew Ford pinch hit for Nate McLouth and narrowly missed a double when his fly ball down the left field line fell just foul, with manager Buck Showalter coming out to argue with third base umpire Laz Diaz. Two pitches later, Ford grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Adam Jones got the Orioles on the board with a leadoff homer in the second, his 27th. Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow loaded the bases by walking three of the next four batters before Manny Machado made it 2-0 with an RBI groundout.
Toronto sliced the deficit in half on Kelly Johnson's RBI double in the bottom half, then tied it in the third when Davis hit a one-out homer to left, his seventh.
Yunel Escobar led off the seventh with a broken bat double to left and moved to third on Johnson's bunt single. Yorvit Torrealba fouled out before Hechavarria dropped down a safety squeeze. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez charged and tried to scoop the ball to the plate with his glove, but it rolled past Matt Wieters as Escobar slid safely home, giving the Blue Jays their first lead in September.
"My stomach wouldn't settle down until the middle of the second quarter," Zenger said. "That has continued the rest of my life, no matter what game it is. I wish I could get rid of that anxiety, but it's always there."
Luis Ayala came on to face Anthony Gose, who loaded the bases with a single under the glove of
Gonzalez (6-4) gave up five runs, four earned, and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings. He walked none and struck out four.
shortstop J.J. Hardy, Davis followed with a two-run single to center, with Gose making it 6-2 on Jones' throwing error.
Morrow allowed two runs and three hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six.
As a coach, anxiety always filled Zenger on game day. It would nestle in his abdomen, making butterflies feel like bees.
"ZENGER" FROM PAGE 1
Basebail was key in settling Zenger's nerves this summer, but
his kids' seasons are over. Instead, Zenger will watch his children play football. Each day of the weekend will include a game. Lawrence High School varsity on Friday nights, junior varsity and Jayhawks football on Saturdays and Little League on Sundays — with his daughter's volleyball games sprinkled in, too.
Yet no matter the amount of pressure on Zenger's shoulders when it comes to Kansas football, all he can do is stand back and wait for his next opportunity to help the
experiment succeed.
"Any good administrator will tell you that you have absolutely no control over anything that happens on that field; you become useless at some point," Zenger said. "That's the part that's hard at times, because now you realize you don't have much control."
— Edited by Stéphane Roque