Tuesday, September 7, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Soccer team splits games in Utah
By Chris Wristen
sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
The Kansas women's soccer team split two games this weekend in Utah, falling 2-1 in overtime to Utah and pummeling Weber State 3-0.
In Friday's game against Utah, the Jayhawks got off to a slow start. The Utes struck early, netting a goal three and a half minutes into the game when Amy Kofoed beat the defense and scored an unassisted goal. Kansas struck back in the 80th minute when senior Cynthia Dahle fed junior Kylie Watts for her first goal of the season and tied the game at 1 each. Utah ended the game almost 14 minutes into the overtime period when Brittany Harlan handled a Dana Bolton pass and sent it past Kansas goalkeeper Betsy Pollard for the goal that won the game.
Kansas midfielder Melissa Downing pushes a Colorado defender away from the ball in this game. The Jayhawks traveled to Utah during the weekend, where they split two games, losing 2-1 to Uta and defeating Weber State 3-0. Photo by Eric Sahrmann/KANSAN
"We played horrible in the first 25 minutes. That is when they scored their goal," coach Mark Francis said. "After that we made a tactical change in the midfield, and we did better. We played much better in the second half."
Although disappointed with the loss, Francis was pleased overall with how the team played.
"Utah was a good team," Francis said. "They had a lot of speed. They scored two good goals. For the first time this season, we did not give up any goals, they earned them."
"It was ugly as sin, but we won," Francis said. "The field was a nightmare, it was all wet and muddy, but we did well with our chances this time. We only took 11 shots, but scored three, so you have got to like that ratio."
Kansas bounced back Sunday by defeating Weber State, in spite of poor field conditions. A combination of rain from the night before and a sprinkler system that didn't get turned off in time created a sogy field.
The scoring started early for the Jayhawks. Junior Katie Lents scored in the game's second minute off a pass from freshman Brianna Valento. Senior Melissa Downing kept the offense rolling in the second half when she scored off a pass from junior Meghann Haven, which was Haven's team-leading third assist of the year. The scoring concluded in the 70th minute as sophomore Melanie Schroeder found herself on the receiving end of a pass from junior Colleen Colvin and scored her second goal of the season.
"It was a great feeling, I was really excited I got a shutout," Pollard said. "But it wasn't just me, it was my defense and the midfield. If the forwards didn't score those goals then the score still would've been 0-0, so it was a
total team effort."
Pollard believes the shutout also will help build confidence.
Pollard said. "Our defense is really strong this year, so I think what we needed was a total team effort."
"The four defenders and me needed to get a shutout to gain some confidence."
- Edited by Jamie Knodel
Team Tennis has Lawrence swinging
Professors and students play in league
Scott Kirsch sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
For all those tennis fans out there who are glued to late-night TV coverage of the U.S. Open and are just itching to strut their stuff, World TeamTennis may be the answer.
World TeamTennis, which has a professional team in
Kansas City, came to Lawrence in 1993 and now has six nonprofessional four-person teams here. And although most KU students probably have not heard of it, some have already participated.
"We had a few (KU students) last spring," league director Kalissa Kaufman said. "And in the summer we had a few more. Also, Jenny Garrity, the (Kansas) women's tennis coach, has shown interest in playing."
The league plays by regular TeamTennis rules, exactly like the professional Kansas City Explorers. Teams consist of two men and two
women, and there is a no-aid format. This means that a game goes to four points, without playing to a two-point margin. Play is rapid, with the first team to capture six games winning the set.
"It's like a mini-Davis Cup," Michael Moses, Lawrence senior, said. "It really gives you good match experience, and it's nice to be part of a group."
Moses said he played two seasons in 1998, until an ankle injury kept him out last spring. However, he is back on the court for the current season, which runs from August 26th through October 7th.
"It's an awesome thing," he said. "All ages can participate."
Fox said there were two leagues, the more competitive played on Thursday nights while the other plays on Sundays.
Michael Fox can vouch for that. Fox, an associate professor in Health Policy and Management at the University, said he played last fall until he hurt his knee. This season he said he will participate as a substitute, meaning that he will play whenever a team needs a male player.
"It's a great opportunity to maintain skills in not too couthret of a league," he said. "There's a certain degree of maturity. Nobody's throwing their rackets. If you lose, you lose."
Fox believes the league is very equally divided. The matches include singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Players can also split-time, so that a participant can get as much exercise as they want.
So, whether a tennis player wants to compete, get exercise, or both, World TeamTennis could be your game.
But no racket-throwing.
Edited by Chris Hopkins
Runners perform well in opener
By Rebecca Barlow sports@kanson.com
Kansas sportwriter
The Kansas cross country team didn't know what to expect at its season opener Saturday at the Southern Illinois Invitational. But they found both the men and women's teams showed they are ready for competition this season.
The men's team finished second to Southern Illinois by two points and had a first place finisher. The women's team finished third.
Tate was excited that his team ran so well on Saturday.
Andy Tate, Lake Elmo, Minn., senior, led the men's team with a first-place finish with a time of 19:53.90. He was the only runner to break the 20-minute mark. Kansas' Brent Behrens, Atalissa, Iowa, sophomore, finished fifth, followed by Pete Prince, Lake Elmo, Minn., sophomore, who finished sixth.
"I think we did an excellent job. Every runner had one of the best races of their careers, and its only the first meet. It's a good sign." Tate said.
Gary Schwartz, Kansas cross country coach, was glad to see Tate with a first-place finish.
Senior runner Kevin McGinn, Emporia senior, had a problem with the heat and his asthma during the race and finished 20th. Schwartz said he was pleased that the men's team did so well even though McGinn was not running at his full ability.
"He had a season (last year) he wasn't pleased with." Schwartz said. "I am pleased to see him racing well."
On the women's team Sara Brinkley, Winfield sophomore, crossed the finish line with a time of 19:10.00 and a 13th place finish. Keely Malone finished 14th.
Brinkley said she was very satisfied with her performance as well as the overall team performance.
"I thought the team did great. That was the best I have seen the team do," Brinkley said. "I ran my best for the day. There are some things I need to improve on."
Schwartz said he is very optimistic about where the women's team could go this season. He said they have better depth and better talent this season.
He said that there was a lot more competition for the top spots on the women's team. He thought that helped motivate the entire team.
Kansas and Southern Illinois have a history of competing against each other. They have run against each other 36 times, with Kansas leading the series 23-13.
Schwartz and Southern Illinois coach Bill Cornell are old friends. Schwartz and Cornell competed in track at the same time during their college careers. Schwartz threw the discus for Kansas and Cornell was a runner for Southern Illinois. Schwartz enjoyed coaching against his old rival and was happy with his runners' results.
"I like those kind of rivalries, they are a little more personal," Schwartz said. "We got a good competitive effort out of the people we brought."
The Jayhawks will race again next Saturday in Lawrence. They will host the Bob Timmons Invitational at Rim Rock Farm, the only home meet this season.
—Edited by Ronnie Wachter
Students get off the couch and sign up for intramurals
Flag football has different feel than original
By Jason Walker sports@kansan.com Kansan sportwriter
For those students who have been anxiously awaiting athletic glory at the University of Kansas, but were somehow overlooked by Terry Allen and Roy Williams — the time is now.
The Kansas fall intramural season starts today with the first flag football
games and sand volleyball matches. Jason Krone, assistant director of recreation services, said the turnout for the fall season was pretty big.
"We are expecting about 100 football teams and 65 sand volleyball teams," he said. "That's slightly down from last year, but it's still pretty good."
Krone said that even though the managers' meetings for the two sports have already been held, students wishing to sign up were still welcome.
choice of what time slot they get."
"People tend to think, 'oh my gosh, I forgot to sign up,' but we can still get them in," he said. "But sometimes they don't really have a
voice of what time slot they get. While the basic rules of sand volleyball are similar to the indoor version, flag football differs greatly from the traditional counterpart. Tom Nienke, Mulvane senior and program assistant, said that while there were many differences between the two, there was one obvious alteration.
"No tackling," he said. "That's the biggest one. There's really not any contact at all."
Krone said that the no contact rule led to a new kind of game that involved different fundamentals than the traditional version of football.
"It involves screen-blocking," he said. "You have to establish position before your opponent."
Another difference is that there are first downs after 20 yards, rather than 10. The field is divided into five 20 yard zones and a team has four plays to advance the ball into the next zone and get a first down. There are also two 20-minute halves with a running clock.
Krone said that while Kansas's version of flag football was different from traditional football, it wasn't as different as other schools' versions.
"We are one of the only programs in the nation that still kick field goals and extra points," he said
" everyone else either has to go for it on fourth down or punt. They also have one- and two-point conversions after touchdowns, but they don't kick extra points. Plus we use a 100-yard field, while most others use an 80-ward field."
These different rules can be difficult to pick up for people used to traditional football. Craig Phelan, Olathe junior, said Kansas flag football was not like what he had previously known.
"It's hard to get used to," he said.
"The flow of the game is a lot quicker. There's not as much time between plays, and there are a lot of short, quick passes. It's like it's
high-intensity with less impact."
Phelan said the rules of flag foot ball made it open to just about any one.
"It's good because it makes it possible for a variety of people to play." he said. "You don't necessarily have to be an athlete."
Students still interested in getting a team together can bring their roster for sand volleyball or flag football to 208 Robinson and sign up. The managers' and officials' meetings for intramural soccer are scheduled for this evening at 7 and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
—Edited by Matt James
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