August 31, 2011

Jayhawks Prepare for Missouri State, South Dakota State This Weekend

Aug. 31, 2011

Kansas vs. MSU and SDSU Game Notes

Weekend Information

Sept. 2-4
Friday	at Missouri State, 7 p.m. Plaster Field Springfield, Mo.
Sunday	vs. South Dakota State, 1 p.m. Jayhawk Soccer Complex Lawrence, Kan.
Live Stats	at Missouri State vs. South Dakota State
Notes	Kansas

Stats at a Glance	KU	MSU	SDSU
Overall Record	3-1-0	2-1-0	1-3-0
Conference Record	–	–	–
Conference	Big 12	MVC	Summit
Goals-Shots	10-65	5-35	3-36
Goals/GM	2.50	1.67	0.75
Goals Against/GM	1.50	1.67	2.00
Shots/GM	16.2	11.7	9.0
Corner Kicks	19	10	23
Fouls	32	27	30
Yellow Cards	2	2	0
Red Cards	0	0	0

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas soccer (3-1) will conclude a three-match road stint when it travels to Missouri State (2-1) on Friday, Sept. 2 for a 7 p.m. contest. The Jayhawks then return home to close out the weekend as they welcome South Dakota State (1-3) on Sunday, Sept. 4. That game is slated for a 1 p.m. kick-off at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

About the Jayhawks
KU defeated USC and No. 20 San Diego last weekend to bring a three-match win streak into Friday’s contest versus Missouri State. Through the first four games, freshman forward Jamie Fletcher is leading the Big 12 Conference with four goals while her 10 shots on goal are also tops on the team. The KU front line is receiving major support from junior midfielder Whitney Berry, who has a league-best five assists to go along with one goal on the season. She also ranks second in the Big 12 with 4.50 shots per game. As a team, the Jayhawks are tied for second in the conference averaging 2.50 goals per game.

Between the posts, junior Kat Liebetrau and redshirt freshman Kaitlyn Stroud have split time as goalkeeper. Stroud holds a slight edge with a .800 save percentage and is 2-0. Collectively, the pair lead the Big 12 with 4.50 saves per game.

Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State picked up wins over Tennessee-Martin and Vanderbilt last weekend to improve to 2-1 overall. Four different players have tallied goals for the Bears led by two from sophomore forward Rachel Weimer. She also has a team-high 10 shots followed by nine attempts from junior midfielder Michelle Sommer. In goal, senior Jessica Teahan has started all three matches. She owns 13 saves with a 1.67 goals against average.

The Bears finished 10-6-3 last season and return 17 letterwinners, including eight starters.

Since dropping its first meeting with Missouri State in 1997, Kansas has won the last six contests versus the Bears. Last season the Jayhawks defeated MSU 2-0 in Lawrence. Senior Kortney Clifton scored both goals.

Scouting South Dakota State
SDSU enters the game with a 1-3 overall record after going 1-1 last weekend. The Jackrabbits defeated Northern Illinois before falling to Western Michigan. Senior forward Kelsey Ferguson and senior forward Kayla Braffet lead SDSU with six shots apiece. Ferguson, Braffet and junior midfielder Christa Nyblom have all scored one goal to lead the team. Senior goalkeeper Kat Donovan has saved 14 shots in four starts for a .636 save percentage.

The Jacks compiled an 11-3-5 record in 2010. They return seven starters and 20 letterwinners overall.

Kansas defeated SDSU 4-0 in 2009 in the teams’ only meeting on the soccer field. Junior Whitney Berry tallied a pair of assists in the contest.

Up Next
The Jayhawks will take to the road again next weekend, Sept. 9-11, to take part in the Boilermaker Challenge in West Lafayette, Ind. Friday afternoon Kansas will take on Dayton at 4 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend versus either Purdue or Cal State-Northridge on Sunday at 10 a.m.