6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007
COMMENTARY
Soccer shows swagger
BY SHAWN SHROYER
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
SHROYER@KANSAN.COM
DES MOINES, Iowa - Swagger.
It's easy to get carried away with this term in sports. But every now and then, you see it personified.
In recent years, Kansas soccer has had a certain air about it. Regardless of the opponent, coach Mark Francis teams would take the pitch knowing they could compete with their opponent.
This season, Kansas looked poised to give the country a taste of that swagger. After an 0-5-1 start, though, the swagger abandoned the Jawhayes.
Friday night at Drake Stadium the Jayhawks got their swagger back, claiming a 2-1 victory against the Bulldogs. From the onset, the match was like a Batman comic book.
Bang! The Jayhawks nailed a shot off the post in the opening minutes. This was the first of many threatening strikes Kansas sent toward the Drake goal Friday night.
Pow! Freshman forward Rachel Morris tucked a shot into the top left corner of the net from short range. The goal, Morris' second on the season, gave Kansas its first lead in regulation since Sept. 18.
Wham! Minutes later, sophomore forward Monica Dolca snuck her first goal of the season inside the left post from 10 yards out. Suddenly Kansas had its first multi-goal lead of the year and showed no signs of letting up.
"Offensively, we're starting to figure some things out," Francis said. "We're committing more people to the attack, getting more people in the box, and our final ball into the box – especially from wide – is a lot better."
Drake added a goal from long-distance in the second half, but Kansas never looked vulnerable to surrendering the lead.
The victory put Kansas at 2-8-2. After another victory against Texas Tech on Sunday the Jayhawks sit at 3-8-2 for the season. While that record won't garner national attention, it's more a testament to the obstacles the Jayhawks have faced early this season than it is a reflection of what their record will be by season's end.
Kansas received a staggering blow when junior defender Jenny Murtaugh went down for the season with a knee injury in the home opener. With Murtaugh out of the lineup, Kansas' defense took some time to recover, giving up multiple goals in five matches.
By the end of the month, the Jayawaks' confidence was wavering. Kansas played five ranked opponents and lost to each one.
"When you lose those close games like that, it starts to catch up with you eventually and you start to wonder if it's ever going to come around," Francis said.
Tremendous overall play from senior goalkeeper Colleen Quinn was getting lost in the mix.
Quinn stepped in this season for injured junior goalkeeper Julie Hanley, who posted a 0.98 goals against average and 3.32 saves per game last season. While Quinn had a 1.8 goals against average after Friday night, she also saved an average of 4.25 shots per game. If not for uncharacteristic second periods against Hawaii and Texas A&M, Quinn would have had a 1.26 goals against average.
But Kansas' offense and defense played harmoniously Friday.
The KU back line was virtually impenetrable, keeping the Bulldogs from breathing down Quinn's neck, and as a result, the Kansas offense dissected the Drake defense.
With a goal in consecutive weeks, Morris appears to be a legitimate scoring threat. If she is, she's sure to attract attention from Kansas' go-to forward, Dolinsky. And the more early goals this tandem can score, the easier life will be for Quinn and her defenders from here on out.
Obviously, the lajhawks aren't out of the woods, yet. They'll have to have a nearly flawless Big 12 showing to salvage any postseason hopes. But now that they've got their swagger back, the postseason is at least a possibility.
A little swagger can go a long way.
Edited by Ashlee Kieler
>> SOCCER
Jayhawks defeat Drake Texas Tech on road
BY ALISON CUMBOW
cumbow@kansan.com
A COMEBACKWEEKEND RESULTS IN TRIPLE DIGIT RECORD
Coach Mark Francis and the Jayhawks added two victories to their record after a successful weekend on the road. The Jayhawks had a 2-0 victory against Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and a 4-1 victory against Texas Tech in College Station, Texas. Sunday's victory against Texas Tech was the 100th victory for Francis, making him the fifth coach to win 100 games at a Big 12 school.
GOAL BY GOAL
"The four goals that we scored were very good goals," Francis said.
The Jayhawks dominated the match against Texas Tech from the start. Senior midfielder Nicole Cauzillo scored her third goal of the season in the first half.
Sophomore forward Kim Boyer scored the second and third goals, which marked her second and third goals of the season. One of her goals found the net after she successfully headed it into the corner.
Freshman forward Kaitlyn
Cunningham scored the game's final goal in the last 10 minutes, marking the first of her college career.
"The team finished very good opportunities. We're starting to get into a more offensive rhythm, and that's a great thing." Francis said.
WHAT'S NEXT?
"it's been a long time since we've been at home." Francis said.
Francis said the team was looking forward to coming back this weekend.
Kansas will host Oklahoma State Friday at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex at 4 p.m.
"Obviously very sad news, and our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family," said
highlights
Shots by period
1st 2nd Total
Kansas 6 5 11
Texas Tech 7 18 25
Chad Schieber of Midland, Mich., 35, collapsed while running on the South Side and was pronounced dead shortly before 1 p.m. at a Veteran's Affairs hospital, the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.
Corner kicks
Ivuti leaned at the finish line to edge Jaouad Gharib of Morocco by 0.05 seconds. Ethiopia's Berhan Adere rallied to successfully defend her women's title.
1st 2nd Total
Kansas 3 1 4
Texas Tech 11 11 12
Saves by period
1st 2nd Total
Kansas 3 5 8
Texas Tech 0 1 1
MARATHON
Runners' race victories overshadowed by death
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Patrick Ivuti, right, of Kenya, crosses the finish line ahead of Jaouad Gharib, left, of Morocco, to win the men's division of the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:11:11 on Sunday, Oct. 7, in Chicago.
Harsh temperatures, humidity end event early
CHICAGO — In a race run in scorring heat that left one man dead, Kenya's Patrick Ivuti won the Chicago Marathon by a fraction of a second Sunday. At least 49 runners were taken to hospitals and another 250 were treated at the site.
The 88-degree heat and sweltering humidity were so draining that organizers shut down the second half of the course four hours after the start.
There was another running death Sunday in Arlington, Va. An unidentified runner from Virginia died during the Army Ten-Miler, collapsing near the finish at the Pentagon. The race started in 70-degree heat and high humidity.
These were record temperatures for the Chicago Marathon, topping the mark of 84 degrees in 1979. Runners were diverted to the starting area, where they were provided with medical attention and cooling misters. Shortages of water and energy drinks were reported along the 26.2-mile route.
George Chiampas, the race's medical director, said witnesses reported seeing Schieber collapse and become unresponsive. "It sounds like he lost his pulse very fast and died on the race course," Chiampas said.
Shawn Platt, senior vice president of title sponsor LaSalle Bank.
Race director Carey Pinkowski said organizations were concerned that emergency medical personnel wouldn't be able to keep up with heat-related injuries.
SOFTBALL
Hawks dominate Classic Softball finished fall schedule Sunday by going 4-0
BRITT BEASLEY
bbeasley@kansan.com
The University of Kansas softball team concluded its fall schedule this past weekend playing in the jayhawk Classic.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
In the first game the Jayhawks played against Johnson County Community College and tore the game wide open in the top of the first with seven runs. The remainder of the game belonged to freshman pitcher Allie Clark. Clark seven innings allowing two runs on five hits. She also stuck out two and walked one.
Stevie Crisosto, junior shortstop, makes a catch in front of Liz Golan, freshman outfielder,
Sunday afternoon in a game against UMKC at Arocha Ballpark. Kansas hosted the Fall Invitational
this weekend.
In the second game the Jayhawks played Central Missouri State University. Junior pitcher Val George pitched seven innings allowing no runs off of three hits. She struck out 10 batters and walked one. The Jayhawks big inning was in the fifth with a single from junior infielder Val Chapple, which was the Jayhawks first hit of the game. From there the wheels fell off for CMSU. The Jayhawks scored four runs in the fifth and then added three more in the sixth off of a three-run home run by junior Stevie Crisosto.
The third game pitted the Jayhawks against University of Missouri Kansas City. George allowed three hits, struck out nine and allowed two runs over six innings before being relieved in the seventh by Clark. Crisosto
added another big game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning.
Kansas played CMSU for the second time after defeating
UMKC on Sunday. The Jayhawks won 6-2 to complete the weekend at 4-0.
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
Jon Goering/KANSAN
The Kansas Jayhawks concluded their fall schedule Sunday in the Jayhawk Classic. The hawks faced Johnson County Community College, University of Missouri Kansas City and Central Missouri State University.
NFL
Chargers defeat Broncos, 41-3. in worst home loss
DENVER — The San Diego Changers handed the Denver Broncos their worst home loss since 1966 by rediscovering their winning formula: hold onto the ball.
And the best way to do that
is by handing it to reigning MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and his trusty backup, Michael Turner, who led the Chargers to a 41-3 rout of the reeling Broncos.
Tomlinson amassed 140 yards, including 73 on three receptions, and Turner added 147 yards on 10 carries, highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown trol along the Broncos'
bewildered sideline in the fourth quarter.
One week after committing four turnovers, the Chargers (2-3) had none in ending their three-game skid by winning consecutive games in Denver for the first time since 1967-68.
Associated Press
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