Jayhawks Look to Extend Win Streak at Boilermaker Challenge

Sept. 7, 2011

Weekend Information
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Purdue Boilermaker Challenge
Friday vs. Dayton, 4 p.m.
Varsity Soccer Complex
West Lafayette, Ind.
Sunday vs. Cal State Northridge -or-
Purdue, 10 a.m.
Varsity Soccer Complex
West Lafayette, Ind.
Live Stats Purdue Tournament Central
Notes

Kansas Get     Acrobat  Reader
Dayton Get     Acrobat  Reader
Purdue Get     Acrobat  Reader
Cal State Northridge Get     Acrobat  Reader

Stats at a Glance
KU UD
Overall Record 5-1-0 4-1-0
Conference Record
Conference Big 12 A10
Goals-Shots 15-93 16-82
Goals/GM 2.50 3.20
Goals Against/GM 1.33 1.40
Shots/GM 15.5 16.4
Corner Kicks 32 28
Fouls 48 44
Yellow Cards 3 2
Red Cards 0 0

KU at Boilermaker Challenge Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

Kicking Off
Looking to extend a five-match winning streak, the University of Kansas soccer team (5-1) is scheduled to participate in the Boilermaker Challenge this weekend, Sept. 9-11, in West Lafayette, Ind. Friday the Jayhawks, who are now receiving votes in two of the major soccer polls and ranked third in the NSCAA Central Region, open the tournament as they face Dayton (4-1), a week removed from the top 25, at 4 p.m. KU will then play the winner of Purdue (2-4) vs. Cal State Northridge (1-4) on Sunday at 10 a.m. Live stats for both days will be available on Purdue’s athletic website, www.KUAthletics.com.

About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks notched wins at Missouri State and versus South Dakota State last weekend to improve to 5-1 on the year. The team’s five-game winning streak has also brought on some national attention as KU is receiving votes in both the Soccer Times and NSCAA polls. Through its first six games, Kansas has outscored its opponents 15-8, led by freshmen Ingrid Vidal and Jamie Fletcher, who have four goals apiece. Vidal and junior Whitney Berry lead the Big 12 Conference with 11 points, while Berry’s seven assists are also tops in the league.

Between the posts, junior Kat Liebetrau and redshirt freshman Kaitlyn Stroud continue to split time at goalkeeper. Stroud paces KU with a 1.00 goals against average and is 3-0 with a .824 save percentage.

Jayhawks Gaining National Attention
Now riding a five-game winning streak, Kansas has caught the attention of the national soccer community. In the most recent soccer polls released on Sept. 6, KU was just outside the top 25 coming in at No. 26 with 66 votes in the NSCAA poll. Soccer Times lists the Jayhawks at No. 27 with 24 votes.

Scouting Dayton
Dayton fell 3-1 to Wisconsin last Friday to spoil a four-match win streak as the Flyers dropped out of the top 25. Through its first five games, Dayton has outscored its opponents 16-7 and leads the Atlantic 10 in goals, assists and points. Junior forward Colleen Williams paces the league with 12 points and has a team-high four goals and four assists. In goal, junior Katherine Boone has played in all five contests this season with a 1.12 goals against average.

Last season, Dayton finished 19-3-1 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They Flyers return 18 letterwinners, including six starters, from 2010.

Series Info: KU and Dayton will be meeting for the first time in series history.

Scouting Purdue
Purdue split a pair of contests last weekend to bring a 2-4 mark into the Boilermaker Challenge. Through six games, Purdue has just five goals, led by two scores from freshman Alex Hairston. Redshirt sophomore Clara Kridler has played in all six games in goal and owns 33 saves with a 1.65 GAA.

The Boilermakers went 6-12-2 in 2010 and bring back nine starters from a year ago.

Series Info: The KU/Purdue soccer series is tied at one win a piece with each team earning a win on its home field. Purdue won the first meeting 3-1 in 2005, while the Jayhawks topped the Boilermakers 3-0 in Lawrence in 2008.

Scouting Cal State Northridge
Cal State Northridge picked up a win versus Princeton Sunday to halt a four-match skid as it improved to 1-4 overall heading into the weekend. Senior Heidi Farran owns two of the team’s four goals this season and paces the squad with five points. Between the posts, junior Cynthia Jacobo has 10 saves in goal and a 1.95 GAA.

The Matadors return seven starters and 21 letterwinners from its 12-9 team in 2010.

Series Info: Cal State Northridge defeated Kansas 1-0 in two overtimes last season in the teams’ only meeting with each other on the pitch.

Freshmen Earn Three-Straight Big 12 Rookie Honors
Kansas has taken home the first three Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors in 2011. Freshman Jamie Fletcher was named NOW on Aug. 23 after scoring three goals in two games to open the season. Her three scores were the most ever in a KU freshman debut.

For the past two weeks, freshman Ingrid Vidal has taken home the league honor. Vidal first earned the award on Aug. 30 after scoring two goals in the final 10 minutes in a game at No. 20 San Diego to down the Toreros. The forward was honored again on Sept. 6 for collecting two goals and two assists at MSU and versus SDSU last weekend. The Palmira, Colombia native has 10 points in her last three games.

Up Next
Kansas will take next weekend off from competition but will be busy preparing for one of its toughest challenges so far this season as KU is scheduled to host top-10 opponent Florida on Sunday, Sept. 18. Match time is slated for 1 p.m. at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.