Jayhawks Travel to Creighton, Nebraska
Sept. 26, 2006
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JAYHAWKS TRAVEL TO CREIGHTON, NEBRASKA
The University of Kansas soccer team (6-3, 1-1 Big 12) will take to the road for a second-straight weekend when it travels to Creighton and Nebraska this Friday and Sunday. The Jayhawks will play at Creighton Friday evening at 7 p.m., in the team’s final non-conference match of the regular season and will resume Big 12 play on Sunday in Lincoln at 1 p.m.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS
Creighton (5-5-1) enters Friday’s match with KU having won three of its last five. Last weekend, the Bluejays split two contests at their tournament, defeating Grambling State, 3-0 on Sept. 22, before falling to UNLV, 1-0 on Sunday. The Jays are 3-3 at home this season.
Junior midfielder Toch Ihemelu leads the team with four goals and eight points, while freshman Jordan Bruch is tops in assists (2). Eleven different Jays have scored goals this season.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Casey has seen a majority of the action in net, posting a 1.08 goals against average and a .789 save percentage in 664 minutes. Casey also leads the team with a pair of shutouts.
Head coach Bruce Erickson is in his eighth season with the Jays and has a mark of 77-65-15 at the school. Erickson’s team returns nine starters from last year’s squad which went 12-6-3.
KU leads the all-time series with the Jays, 4-1, including a 3-1 triumph on Nov. 12, 2004 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This will be the teams’ first regular season meeting since 2000.
Creighton on the web: www.gocreighton.com
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska (6-2-2, 1-1 Big 12) will play host to Colorado on Friday before welcoming the Jayhawks to town on Sunday. Like KU, the Huskers split their first two conference matches this weekend, defeating No. 18 Missouri, 2-0, before falling in double-overtime to Iowa State, 3-2. NU has already played four matches which have gone to extra periods this season, posting a 1-1-2 record.
Senior forward Brittany Timko has been the team’s top offensive player this season, posting team highs in goals (7), assists (5) and points (19). Timko also leads the conference in points and is tied for second in goals.
Sophomore Jamie Klages is NU’s top keeper, posting an 0.94 goals against average and a .767 save percentage in 955 minutes this season.
Head coach John Walker is in his 13th season with the team and has a career mark of 206-62-11. Walker’s team returns nine starters from last year’s team which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
NU leads the all-time series with KU, 11-1-2, including a 3-1 triumph in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Nov. 2, 2005. KU’s last victory over the Huskers came in 2003.
NU on the web: www.huskers.com
LAST TIME OUT
KU split a pair of Big 12 matches over the weekend, defeating Oklahoma, 1-0, on Sunday after falling to Oklahoma State, 1-0, in double overtime on Friday evening.
Yolanda Odenyo’s goal in the 106th minute led Oklahoma State to a 1-0 double-overtime triumph over the KU in Big 12 play Friday at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex. Both teams had several chances to break the scoreless tie throughout regulation, but neither could. Goalkeeper Julie Hanley made three saves in defeat.
On Sunday, Sophomore Jessica Bush’s goal in the 68th minute lifted the University of Kansas to its first Big 12 victory of the season, 1-0 over Oklahoma Sunday at John Crain Field. Hanley made three saves to earn her third shutout of the season.
BUSH SPARKS KU OFFENSE
After going scoreless in the first four matches of the season, sophomore Jessica Bush has been a big part of the KU offense the last two weekends. Bush recorded the only goal in the Jayhawks’ 1-0 victory over Oklahoma on Sunday, her second in as many weekends. While the team was held scoreless against Oklahoma State last Friday, Bush recorded a game-high six shots.
This came one weekend after the 5-foot-3 midfielder enjoyed her first career multi-point contest against UCF, with a goal and an assist on Sept. 17.
HANLEY HOLDS ON
Save for one unlucky bounce on Friday, sophomore goalkeeper Julie Hanley has been flawless in net over the past three matches. The 5-foot-9 keeper has collected shutouts in two of her last three starts and allowed one goal to No. 21 Oklahoma State in 105 minutes of play.
Over her past 295 minutes in goal, going back to the Pepperdine match, Hanley has allowed just the one goal, while recording career shutouts No. 4 and 5.
Her 1-0 blanking of Oklahoma on Sunday marked the sophomore’s second-consecutive shutout of the Sooners.
SUNDAY BEST
Sunday afternoons have brought out the best in the Kansas soccer team this season. So far this season, the team is 4-0 in Sunday matches, which includes shutouts over UCF and Oklahoma the past two weekends.
HAPPY RETURNS
KU freshman Shannon McCabe enjoyed a return to her native state of Oklahoma last weekend. The 5-foot-6 forward set up the Jayhawks’ game-winning goal against OU on Sunday and tied for the team lead with three shots in the match.
McCabe has three points this season, all of them have come at key moments for the team. Along with her assist Sunday, she also scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of KU’s 4-3 victory over Duke on Sept. 10.
LOOKING AHEAD
After two straight weekends on the road, the Kansas soccer team returns to the friendly confines of the Jayhawk Soccer Complex for a pair of important Big 12 contests. KU plays host to nationally ranked Texas and Texas A&M Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Jayhawks end the regular season with five of their final seven matches at home.
