KU Soccer Travels to #25 Nebraska and Iowa State

Sept. 28, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

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The KU soccer team travels to No. 25 Nebraska and Iowa State this weekend. KU’s match against the Cornhuskers will kick off at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30. The Jayhawks will face the Cyclones at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2.

QUICK KICKS

1. KU will be seeking revenge against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers ended KU’s season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year with a 2-1 double overtime victory in Lawrence.
2. KU’s lone victory against Nebraska came in its last visit to Lincoln during the 2003 season.
3. The Jayhawks hold a six-match winning streak against the Cyclones.
4. All five on KU’s victories have come on shutouts. Conversely, the Jayhawks have given up three goals in all four of their defeats this season.
5. Nebraska will be KU’s fourth ranked opponent this season. The Jayhawks have dropped matches to #25 Wisconsin, #15 Pepperdine and #14 Texas A&M all by identical 3-2 scores.

ABOUT NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers started Big 12 play with a 2-1 victory over Colorado in Boulder. NU’s match against Texas Tech scheduled for Sunday was postponed because of travel complications as a result of Hurricane Rita and will be made up on Oct. 30. Nebraska is 5-1-0 at home this season.
Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, Brittany Timko, leads the Cornhuskers offense. The junior’s 10 assists this season tops the Big 12. She has also chipped in three goals after scoring 15 in 2004. Sophomore Jessie Bruch scored both of NU’s goals in its Big 12 opener against Colorado. In goal, returning starter, Katie Wright, has split time with freshman Jamie Klages.

ABOUT IOWA STATE
After beating Texas Tech, 6-2, in their Big 12 opener, the Cyclones were shutout by Colorado, 4-0, on Sunday. The loss to the Buffalos snapped a six-match unbeaten streak for ISU, which propelled them to 13th in the Soccer Buzz Central Region Poll, its highest ranking in school history.
Freshman forward Leslie Hill was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday. Hill tallied two goals against the Red Raiders. Goalkeeper Joanna Haig has started all 11 matches for the Cyclones. The sophomore carries a 1.06 GAA with four shutouts in 1023:06 minutes of action.

THIS WEEK IN THE BIG 12
Friday, Sept. 30
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State 2 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Colorado 5 p.m.
Boise State at Texas A&M 7 p.m.
Baylor at Texas 8 p.m.
Missouri at Iowa State 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 2
Oklahoma at Colorado 1 p.m.
Missouri at Nebraska 1 p.m.
Texas A&M at Texas 1 p.m.
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State 2 p.m.

TIED AT THE TOP
Caroline Smith is one assist away from claiming sole possession of another KU offensive statistical category. The senior from Edina, Minn., will surpass Hilla Rantala’s 19 career assists with her next helper. The career assists category will be the ninth career or single season record Smith holds.

LAST TIME OUT
KU opened Big 12 play with a 1-0 victory over Baylor. The match was originally schedule to be played in Waco, Texas, but was moved to Lawrence and later Topeka due to the threat of Hurricane Rita. Jessica Bush tallied the Jayhawks lone goal.
The Jayhawks lost, 3-2, in a back-and-forth match against #14 Texas A&M. The Aggies scored the game-winner with under three minutes remaining in the match. Michelle Rasmussen and Caroline Smith scored goals for KU.

TUBE TIME
The Jayhawks Oct. 23 home match against the University of Texas will be broadcast by College Sports Television on tape delay. The game can been seen on CSTV on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. central time.

HEAD COACH Mark Francis
The winningest soccer coach in KU history, Mark Francis returns for his seventh season as the Jayhawks head coach. Francis owns a 113-75-8 (.598) career record and an ever-improving 80-50-7 (.609) mark at KU. In just six seasons on the job, Francis has four times as many wins as any soccer coach in KU history.
Francis was honored with the 2004 Big 12 Coach of the Year award as well as the Central Region Coach of the Year. He won his 100th career match with a win over Texas Tech on October 1, 2004.
In 2004, the Jayhawks compiled a program-best record of 18-5 on their way to winning KU’s first Big 12 Championship. It was KU’s first women’s Big 12 Championship since the basketball team won the league title in 1997.