Jayhawks Travel to #15 Texas A&M, Texas This Weekend

Sept. 29, 2009

Berry Interview Sept. 30

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LAWRENCE, Kan. –

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Following a weekend split, the Kansas soccer team will travel to the Lone Star State to take on conference rivals Texas A&M and Texas. The Jayhawks will face the 15th-ranked Aggies at 7 p.m. on Friday, before tangling with the Longhorns at 1 p.m., Sunday in Austin, Texas.

Both host schools will offer a live video and audio feed free of charge for KU’s matches this weekend. Fans can find a link for this as well as a link to Gametracker at www.kuathletics.com.

ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS

Kansas split in its trip to Oklahoma last weekend, dropping its first conference match of the year to Oklahoma State, before rebounding with a win at Oral Roberts. The Jayhawks are 8-2-1 and have the best overall winning percentage in the Big 12 (.773).

KU’s offense has scored 2.36 goals per game, while the team is allowing its opponents just 1.0 goals per game. Sophomore Emily Cressy is tied for fourth in the Big 12 in goals (6), while senior Monica Dolinsky is second in the conference in assists (6). Senior goalkeeper Julie Hanley ranks fifth in the Big 12 in save percentage (.786) and goals against average (0.95).

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Texas A&M also split its matches last weekend, defeating Baylor, 1-0, before falling at Oklahoma, 3-2. The Aggies, who were picked to win the Big 12 in the coaches’ preseason poll, went 5-3 in non-conference play against a very challenging schedule. The Aggies have wins over then-No. 8 USC and then-No. 2 Portland to their credit this season.

Junior forward Whitney Hooper leads the team with five goals and 11 points, while sophomore Becca Herrera has four assists to lead the team. Texas A&M has averaged 2.0 goals per match, while giving up 1.1 goals per contest. Junior goalkeepers Kristin Arnold and Kelly Dyer have split time in the net this season, combining for a .656 save percentage and four shutouts.

Texas A&M leads the all-time series with Kansas, 10-3 with one tie. However, since 2004, the teams have split six matches with KU winning both meetings in 2008.

JAYHAWK-AGGIE CONNECTIONS

Kansas forward Shannon McCabe and Texas A&M defender Emily Peterson both grew up in Tulsa, Okla., and played on several teams together. Both were members of the soccer team at Jenks High School and were teammates on the Tulsa Soccer Club.

Kansas goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau and five Aggies: Kristin Arnold, Becca Herrera, Jennifer Kmezich, Beth West and Bri Young, are products of the Real Colorado Soccer Club. Liebetrau was teammates with the four sophomores (Herrera, Kmezich, West and Young) on the Real Colorado ’90 team.

Jayhawk junior Katie Williams, as well as Texas A&M’s Amber Gnatzig, Lyndsey Gnatzig and Nicole Ketchum are all products of the Challenge Soccer Club in Houston, Texas.

KU’s Alex Winchester and Texas A&M’s Rachel Shipley and Carly Wohlers all grew up in Plano, Texas.

SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS

Texas enters the weekend on a positive note, after defeating Oklahoma and tying Baylor in its first two Big 12 contests. The Longhorns have been up-and-down throughout the first six weeks of the season, going 3-5 against non-conference opponents and 3-3 at home. UT is averaging 1.2 goals per match, while surrendering 1.5.

Sophomore midfielder Kylie Doniak leads the team with three goals, while junior Niki Arlitt has a goal and three assists. Texas’ scoring has been very spread out this season as nine different players have scored the team’s 12 goals. Freshman goalkeeper Alexa Gaul has made seven starts and has posted a 1.25 goals against average and a .743 save percentage.

Texas leads the all-time series with KU, 11-1 with two ties. The Longhorns have not allowed a goal in the series since the 2005 meeting – a match KU won 2-1. The Jayhawks and Longhorns played to a scoreless draw in their most recent match in Austin in 2007.

JAYHAWK-LONGHORN CONNECTIONS

Kansas defender Katie Williams and Texas forward Niki Arlitt were teammates with the South Texas ODP ’89 team as well as the Region III ’89 squad.

Kansas freshman Logan Reed and Texas’ Sophie Campise, Melanie Foncham, and Hannah Higgins were all teammates with Sting ’91 as well as with the North Texas ODP program.

Kansas freshman Nicole Chrisopulos and Texas freshman Kristin Cummins were teammates with the Dallas Texans club team.

Kansas forward Emily Cressy and Texas sophomores Courtney Goodson, Amanda Lisberger and Shaine Millheiser are all products of the Eagles’ Soccer Club in southern California.

Kansas defender Lauren Jackson and Texas midfielder Kylie Doniak both played for the Slammers Futbol Club in California.

FABULOUS FRESHMEN

Three Jayhawk freshmen have made their mark this season, and showcased their offensive talents in the team’s 5-3 win over Oral Roberts on Sept. 27.

Midfielder Shelby Williamson scored two of the team’s five goals, while forward Whitney Berry set up the Jayhawks’ first goal of the match in the opening minute. Midfielder Sarah Robbins capped the KU scoring with an unassisted goal in the 83rd minute as the trio had a hand in four of KU’s season-high five goals.

With injuries to several key players early in the season, the three Jayhawk freshmen have had to mature more quickly. Through the first 11 games of the season, the group of Berry, Robbins and Williamson has combined for seven goals and four assists, or nearly 25 percent of the team’s offense.

MAKE ROOM FOR MONICA

Senior midfielder Monica Dolinsky collected a goal and an assist in the win over Oral Roberts to move up in the Jayhawk record books.

Dolinsky is now tied with former Jayhawk Rachel Gilfillan for second all-time at KU with 68 career points. She also recorded her sixth career game-winning goal to tie her with teammate Shannon McCabe for the fifth-most in team history.

The senior is also making an imprint on the Big 12 record books, moving into a tie for 22nd place in career assists with 26.

CORNER KICKS

Kansas makes its first of two trips to the state of Texas this weekend. Historically, the Jayhawks have not fared well in the Lone Star State, but are 4-3-4 over the last four years in games played in Texas, including a 2-0-1 record last year.

Kansas defeated Texas A&M twice last season, including a 4-2 win over the Aggies at the Big 12 Championship. The four goals scored by the Jayhawks in that contest was the most allowed by Texas A&M since a 4-1 loss to Penn State in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore forward Emily Cressy recorded the fastest goal in Kansas history against Oral Roberts on Sept. 27, scoring just 21 seconds after the opening kick off. Cressy’s goal surpassed teammate Rachel Morris’ tally on Sept. 20, which was 23 seconds into the opening half.

Freshman Shelby Williamson recorded the Jayhawks’ second multi-goal match of the season against Oral Roberts, scoring a pair in the first half. Williamson and Rachel Morris (Sept. 20 vs. South Dakota State) have the team’s only multi-goal matches this season.

Fast starts have become the norm for Kansas this season. KU has scored first in eight of the team’s nine matches this season, and outscored its opposition 14-4 in the first half of games.

UP NEXT

After back-to-back weekends on the road, Kansas returns to the Jayhawk Soccer Complex to face Big 12 foes Texas Tech and Colorado. The Jayhawks play host to Texas Tech on Friday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m., before welcoming in the Buffaloes for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, Oct. 11.