2B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1. 2004
Seven soccer seniors bid farewell
Friday's game provided an emotional conclusion to regular-season play
Ryan Howe/KANSAN
BY JASON ELMQUIST
jelmquist@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORTWRITER
KANSAN SPORTSWRITER
The women's soccer team celebrates its Big 12 Championship with a banner after Friday's game. The Jayhawks defeated the Cyclones 4-0 to clinch the title.
Tears flowed on Friday at what may have been the last game played at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex this year as coaches, family, teammates and fans gave respect to the seven seniors who aided in turning the program into Big 12 Championship team.
The soccer team capped its Big 12 Championship season with a 4-0 senior day victory over Iowa State.
Each of the seven seniors played a part in the four Jayhawk goals.
For the first goal of the game senior forward Rachel Gillfillan got past two Cyclone defenders to knock in a pass from sophomore defender Holly Gault.
"My one major move is the cut and everybody on the team knows about it," Gillfan said. "Yet I think with my long legs I'm able to still cut people and I just really wanted to go at people today and just go at the goal."
Gillfillan ranks second all-time for points scored at Kansas. She ended the regular season with 17 goals and 65 for her career.
"Above and beyond the points scored, that's great and I definitely think it's something I want to do to help the team," Gilfillan said. "I just want to be remembered for being an overall good player, like I affected the game when I was in and just controlled it."
On the next goal senior midfielder Gabriela Quiggle assisting junior forward Caroline Smith.
It was Quiggle's second assist of the season. Quiggle said she ranked the assist and the day as whole as one of her top memories from her four years at Kansas.
"It's a big memory. That's definitely one that's going to
stick out," Quiggle said. "There's many great memories with this team and this is definitely one that's going to be on the top. It's great to win on senior day."
Nearly five minutes after Quiggle's assist senior goalkeeper Meghan Miller made a one-on-one save that got a roar from the crowd.
The save was the only one needed from Miller.
On the third goal of the match it was Smith connecting with another goal, this time receiving a pass from senior defender Stacy Leeper, which was Leeper's first point of the season.
On the final goal of the game senior forward Monica Brothers got in on the action when she received a pass from Smith and capped off the Jayhawk offensive barrage.
After making only one save in 60 minutes of play. Miller was given a rest by freshman goalkeeper Colleen Quinn. An emotional Miller received a loud ovation from the crowd as she
headed toward the bench where she received a hug from coach Mark Francis.
weeks when she first got here. We were pretty sure she'd end up on our porch back home in Seattle," Binke said. "To stay and to help build a team and get to this point, we are in awe of that and of all the seniors that did it."
"I got chills coming off the field when (the crowd) started clapping for me," said Miller. "It's good to go out like this."
While the seniors saw much success and felt much happiness throughout the game, there was one piece of heartache, as Leeper was injured in the second half. After being helped off the field, Leeper was later carted away from the complex.
It is hard to imagine this defensive-minded team without Miller in front of the goal, but her mother said there was a slight moment where Miller might not have been in a Jayhawk uniform.
Miller's parents, Greg and Binke Miller, made the trip from Seattle to see her in her final home game. The Millers, who have been to nearly 80 percent of this year's games, have had the opportunity to see their daughter unify this team to achieve Big 12 Champion status.
While Francis is excited about a Big 12 Championship, he said he is more excited for the seniors.
"I think they've really grown together as a team," Greg Miller said. "Over the four years we've been able to see the team grow, play better as a team, play more as a unit."
"I don't think we ever thought this would come to this, because she cried for six
"The most exciting thing to me is for the seniors, because they really have been the group that's turned the program around," Francis said. "Given the history of the last four years of what this team's done and they are the core of the group that's been able to turn it around."
— Edited by Ashley Bechard
Kansas athletics calendar
TODAY
Men's golf at Stanford, all day, La Quinta,
Calif.
TOMORROW
Men's golf at Stanford, all day, La Quinta, Calif.
Intramural scoreboard
WEDNESDAY
VOLLEYBAEL
Men
NSCS def. GP 25-12, 25-13
Nicks Team 1 def. SAE 1 25-13, 25-16
Volleyball at Missouri at 7 p.m., Columbia,
Soccer, Big 12 Tournament, San Antonio,
Texas, TBA
Men
The Beers def. the Cliz 25-2, 25-20
NSCS def. salt 2 5-24, 25-19
CoRec
Chi Omega 4 def. NSCS 25-16, 25-16
Chi Omega 3 def. Pharm Girls 25-17,
26-24
FLOOR HOCKEY
Women
LDA 1 def. Phi Psi 2 (5-3)
Beta A-1 def. DU 3 (1-10)
Sigma Chi 1 def. DU 1 (2-1)
Thursday's Scores
Kansas didn't score again until senior mid-fielder Gabriela
Men
Candygram for Mongo def. Beta A-2 (4-1)
The Jayhawk offense got going quickly when Gillifan scored her eight goal of the season in the game's 10th minute.
Team High Class def. Kasper and the Hotshots (3-1)
"I've been waiting way too long for this." Miller said. "I've been cursed my entire life. It feels like I've finished second in everything you could possibly finish second in. I just hope today got rid of that curse."
SOCCER: Final game celebrates seniors, Big 12 Championship
The victory against Iowa State not only capped off the Jayhawks' Big 12 title run, but also the team's best season in school history. Kansas finished the regular season with an all-time best 16 wins and heads into the Big 12 tournament with the No. 1 seed.
The triumph was especially sweet for the team's seven seniors. Francis took each starting senior out of the game, one by one, late in the second half to let the crowd give them one final ovation.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
Two seniors recorded goals, with Monica Brothers and Rachel Gilfillan each scoring, and Miller posted yet another shutout in the home finale.
Quiggle passed to junior forward Caroline Smith, who then sent the ball into the unprotected goal.
Smith scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season in the game's 46th minute. Smith took a bouncing pass from senior defender Stacy Leeper and fired a perfectly placed line drive just underneath the cross bar from 35 vards out.
"That's the most impressive goal we've had from outside of the box all year," Francis said. "She ripped it, and it was going against the wind, too."
Kansas finished off the 4-0 rout when Smith passed to senior forward Monica Brothers, who fired a shot past the Iowa State goalie.
The only unhappy moment of the day came when Leeper suffered a leg injury in the second half. It is unclear how serious the injury is, but she could not walk under her own power and had to be helped off the field.
Kansas will now travel to San Antonio, Texas to play in the Big 12 tournament. The team's first round game is scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m.
- Edited by Ashley Bechard
WEDNESDAY LEARN HOW YOU CAN LEAD THE MOVEMENT TO END EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY.
Wednesday, November 3·7pm English Room—Kansas Union
sides agreed that
Continued on Page A20
Students In Low-Income Areas 7 Times Less Likely To Graduate From College Than High-Income Peers
District and Education centers to overload as many as two city's 213 middle
OUR GENERATION MUST TAKE ON THIS ISSUE.
TEACHFORAMERICA www.teachforamerica.org
For individuals of all academic majors and career interests. Full salary and health benefits.
CSD:KU CyberSecurity Day @ The University of Kansas
TODAY, Monday, November 1 Strong Hall front lawn [Wescoe Underground patio if it rains]
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
*Poster contest prize judging to begin at 1:30.
Join us for FREE STUFF. games, contests & giveaways.
Be CyberSecure @ KU Visit www.security.ku.edu for more info.