Kansas Claims Third Straight with 2-1 Win Over UTSA
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas junior midfielder Liana Salazar and freshman attacker Lois Heuchan used a pair of long-range goals to lift the Jayhawks to their third-straight victory to open the season, a 2-1 win over Texas-San Antonio at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex Friday evening.
Salazar put in a try from just outside the box on the left side to give Kansas its first goal in the 65th minute, then Heuchan used her left-footed shot from 25 yards out in the 74th minute to answer a Roadrunner goal just 40 seconds earlier and keep Kansas undefeated.
“UTSA gave us a good fight tonight and I knew they would,” said head coach Mark Francis. “I was really happy with how we came back after giving up the goal. We bounced right back and used some resiliency which was great to see. I was happy with how we played tonight. It was definitely a team effort.”
It took just over two thirds of the match for Kansas to shake the pesky Roadrunners after the two squads played even for the first 60 minutes. UTSA went into the halftime lockerroom with the advantage in shots, tallying seven to KU’s four.
It was a different story in the second half however. The Jayhawks rained shots on the visitors for most of the second period, but none rung louder than Salazar’s strike in the 65th minute to get her team on the board. After senior Ali Kimura found space just outside the top of the UTSA box, she played a short pass to her junior teammate who wound up and sent a right-footed shoot past the keeper for her third goal in as many games.
Salazar’s goal from just outside the penalty box put the Jayhawks on top, but the lead would be short-lived as the Roadrunners refused to leave Lawrence without a fight.
Less than nine minutes later, UTSA’s Brianna Livecchi got her head on the end of a Charlotte Husoe cross inside the Jayhawk 18-yard box. Livecchi’s shot hit off the Jayhawk crossbar and in to knot the score up at one with a little more than 15 minutes to play.
Though the Roadrunner’s responded quickly after the KU goal, the Jayhawks responded even faster. Just 43 seconds removed from conceding just its second goal of the year, Kansas answered with a nearly identical goal than that of the first.
Salazar found Heuchan after a run toward the top of the UTSA box, then the freshman striker made one touch and unleashed a drive that dove toward the bottom right corner of the frame and made it just inside the right post. The goal was Heuchan’s second of the season and ended up being just enough to elevate her team to its third win of the year.
The final whistle sounded shortly after with a few late chances by the Roadrunners. Salazar’s three-point outing (one goal and one assist) was the second of her career and marked the third-consecutive game with a goal. In addition to her goal, Heuchan led all players with a career-high four shots, two of which were on frame.
In her first career-start in goal for the Jayhawks redshirt freshman Maddie Dobyns picked up the victory and tallied a pair of saves. Kansas outshot the roadrunners 11-4 in the second half to post a game total of 15 shots.
Kansas will return to the Jayhawk Soccer Complex in less than 48 hours when it welcomes No. 23-ranked Wake Forest for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday, Aug. 31. The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel as well as ESPN3. Fans can also listen to live audio by going to KUAthletics.com/radio.
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