Jayhawks Host Furman, LMU to Open Season

Aug. 23, 2006

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JAYHAWKS HOST FURMAN, LMU TO OPEN SEASON
The University of Kansas women’s soccer team looks to open the season on the right foot with a pair of matches at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex this weekend. The Jayhawks play host to Furman at 5 p.m., on Friday and to Loyola-Marymount at 1 p.m., Sunday. These two home contests will be the first of nine matches played at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. Last season, KU posted a 9-2-1 record at home, including victories in its final five contests in Lawrence.

SCOUTING THE LADY PALADINS
Furman posted a 14-6-2 record last season, and a 7-1-2 mark in the Southern Conference for a second-place finish. The team returns six starters and 10 letterwinners from last year’s squad.
Junior Gena Villari is Furman’s top returning scorer. The 5-foot-6 midfielder tallied five goals and eight assists last season. The Lady Paladins lost their top two scorers, Andre’a Morrison (15 g, 4 a) and Nicky Darling (7 g, 4 a) from last year to graduation. Furman also graduated goalkeeper Andie Hinshaw, leaving senior Jennifer Dobbs and freshman Briana de Mota to battle for the starting keeper spot. Both played in the team’s exhibition win over East Tennessee State.
Head Coach Andew Burr is in his second season with the Lady Paladins. The second-year coach was inducted into the Furman Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 after staring for the Paladins’ soccer and football teams in his college career.
KU won the only previous meeting between the schools, 3-0 in Greenville, S.C., on Sept. 9, 2004.
Furman on the web: www.furmanpaladins.cstv.com

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Loyola Marymount finished 6-10-4 last season, and had a 1-5-1 record in the West Coast Conference. The Lions return eight starters from last year’s squad and 19 players overall.
Included in the returning players is All-WCC First Team defender Whitney Temple and WCC All-Freshman Team selection Michelle Kanama. Both players pitched in offensively with a goal and an assist last season. Junior goalkeeper Joslyn Slovek also returns to the lineup after posting a 1.27 goals against average and eight shutouts in 19 contests last season.
Head Coach Gregg Murphy is in his 10th season with the Lions and owns a 89-65-17 mark at LMU. Murphy’s rêsumê includes leading the Lions to the NCAA Tournament in 2002.
This will be the second all-time meeting between KU and Loyola Marymount. The Jayhawks won the previous meeting, 4-1 in Los Angeles in 2003.
LMU on the web: www.lmulions.cstv.com

LAST TIME OUT
Senior midfielder Jessica Kilpatrick tallied an unassisted goal and the University of Kansas defense held host Drake to just three shots on net as the Jayhawks and Bulldogs played to a 1-1 tie in exhibition women’s soccer action Friday at Drake Stadium.
After Drake’s Liz Woerle tallied a goal in the fourth minute, Kilpatrick recorded the equalizer at 23:01 of the first half. The Englewood, Colo. took advantage of a deflected ball in the box for KU’s lone goal of the match.
Following the early breakdown, the Jayhawk defense held Drake to just two shots on net and no corner kicks for the final 86 minutes of play. Sophomore goalkeeper Julie Hanley and junior Colleen Quinn each played 45 minutes between the pipes and each tallied one save. Freshman forward Kim Boyer paced the offense with two shots, while six other Jayhawks collected shots Friday.

JAYHAWKS TABBED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
The University of Kansas was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 by a vote of the league’s coaches.
Texas A&M was picked to finish first, garnering seven first place votes and 97 total points. Nebraska edged out Texas by one point to finish second. Both the Huskers and Longhorns received two first place votes.
Colorado finished fourth with 72 points followed by KU with 69. The Jayhawks finished 18 points ahead of sixth-place Oklahoma. Oklahoma State (47), Missouri (42), Iowa State (31), Baylor (18) and Texas Tech (13) rounded out the preseason poll.

GAULT NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12
Senior forward Holly Gault was selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 team by the league’s coaches.
Gault, a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection as a defender was moved to forward for the 2006 season. The Spring Hill, Kan., native scored four goals and tied for a team-high with six assists last season.
In her career at Kansas, Gault has 10 goals, 12 assists and three goal-winning goals.

HOME SWEET HOME
Kansas enters Friday’s contest with Furman having history on its side in season-opening matches at home. The Jayhawks are unbeaten in their first home contests since the 2000 season, and have a 3-2-2 record in home openers under Mark Francis.
Francis’ teams have made the Jayhawk Soccer Complex a feared place for any opponent to visit. Since the 2001 season, KU is 36-10-4 (.760) at home, including a 9-2-1 (.792) mark last season.

FRESH FACES
KU welcomes nine new faces to the team for the 2006 season. Forwards Kim Boyer, Monica Dolinsky, Shannon McCabe; midfielders Libby Kramer, Jackie Lewis, Meredith Monson, defenders Megan Jensen, Estelle Johnson and goalkeeper Libby Dix will all likely participate in their first collegiate action this weekend.

WELCOME BACK
Senior forward Jessica Kilpatrick tallied KU’s only goal in last Friday’s exhibition tie at Drake. While it didn’t count in the official stats, it was the 5-foot-5 senior’s first goal since Oct. 3, 2004 against Baylor.
Kilpatrick sat out the entire 2005 season. Her return is a welcome addition to the lineup. In her first two seasons with the Jayhawks, she recorded seven goals and seven assists, including six goals as a freshman.

AND THE CAPTAINS ARE …
Senior midfielder Michelle Rasmussen and junior defender Afton Sauer have been named team captains for the 2006 season. Both players will be serving as captains for the first times in their careers.
Rasmussen started 17 matches for KU last year and earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors, while Sauer started all 20 matches and played in every minute of every contest.

SOCCER BUZZ RANKS JAYHAWKS 11TH IN REGION
Kansas heads into the 2006 season ranked 11th in the Central region in the Soccer Buzz preseason poll. KU finished last season ranked 13th in the region.
The Jayhawks will face four teams ranked in the Soccer Buzz’s preseason national poll this season: Duke (No. 12), Texas A&M (No. 14), Pepperdine (No. 20) and California (No. 30). KU will also face Nebraska, who is receiving votes in the poll.

BATTLE BETWEEN THE PIPES
For the second consecutive year, junior Colleen Quinn and sophomore Julie Hanley will contend for time between the posts. Each goalkeeper started 10 games last year.
Quinn is an athletic keeper that posted five shutouts and a 1.16 GAA while seeing her first college action last year. Hanley has very good feet and distributes the ball well. The former high school All-American went 7-2-0 last season and also carried a 1.16 GAA.

SISTER ACT
Sophomore Missy Geha is the younger sister of former KU soccer player Amy Geha. A four-year starter, Amy was named All-Big 12 First Team last year. She recorded seven career goals and 31 career points. Like her older sister, Missy is also a midfielder.