Salazar Strikes Twice, Kansas Wins 2-1 on Senior Night
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Junior Liana Salazar tallied her second multi-goal game of the year and added a career-high seven shots as the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Iowa State Cyclones, 2-1, on Friday night inside Rock Chalk Park. KU outshot the Cyclones by a tally of 35-10, the most shots by a KU squad in a game since 2005.
The win moved Kansas to 15-3-0 this season, making the 2014 squad the third-winningest team in program history. The Jayhawks also went to 5-2-0 in Big 12 play and have clinched no lower than a No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship to be held in Kansas City’s Swope Soccer Village Nov. 5-9. Iowa State went to 6-10-0 in 2014 and fell to 0-6-0 in league play.
Junior Liana Salazar shot in her 10th and 11th
goals of the year to help Kansas dispatch
of Iowa State, 2-1, Friday night.After being held scoreless in her previous three outings, Salazar wasted little time in getting on the score sheet against the Cyclones Friday when she converted on her third penalty kick of the season. Just under six minutes into the match, senior Jamie Fletcher was taken down from behind after she had taken up position in the ISU 18-yard box. The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot and Salazar faced her third PK attempt of the year.
Moments later the Bogota, Colombia product slotted in her 10th goal of the season just out of the reach of the diving ISU keeper to give her team the early 1-0 lead.
Salazar almost shot in her second goal of the opening 10 minutes less than three minutes later when she eyed an opening just over 18 yards out. Her strike sailed just high of the Cyclone frame but foreshowed what the Jayhawks would face for the rest of the match
The remainder of the first half was all Jayhawks as the home team continued to create chances. Kansas outshot ISU 14-4 over the opening 45 minutes and put six of those shots on target.
KU didn’t let up after the intermission, dominating the possession battle and sending wave after wave of scoring opportunities at the Cyclone defense. The Jayhawks tallied 21 shots over the final frame, its most in a half this season. However, a mix of close misses and impressive saves from Iowa State Andrea Swanson thwarted KU from expanding its lead over the majority of the half.
KU finally got one passed Swanson in the 86th minute when Salazar took a long dribble downfield and slotted her second of the game to the back of the net. The multi-goal game marked Salazar’s second of the season and moved her into the Big 12 lead with 11 goals on the year.
ISU netted its first goal of Big 12 play with less than two minutes remaining after Koree Willer get in behind the KU defense. The score came too late for the Cyclones though as Kansas picked up the win moments later with final whistle.
KU’s 35 shots were the second-most in program history and just one shy of the single-game record, set on Aug. 26, 2005. Kansas also saw a season-high nine corner kick opportunities and allowed just one Cyclone corner.
Each Kansas starting field player posted at least one shot with Salazar leading the way with a career-high seven shots, four of which were on goal.
Senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud picked up the win in her final game on home turf with the help of five saves.
Kansas will pack up for its final contest of the regular season when it journeys to Norman, Oklahoma for a Halloween date with the Oklahoma Sooners. KU and OU will kick off from John Crain Field at 7 p.m., in a match that could have heavy influence on seeding for the Big 12 Championship to be held at Kansas City’s Swope Soccer Village the following week.
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