Kansas Continues Road Swing at Drake, Texas Tech
Oct. 2, 2007
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The <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas soccer team will take to the road again this weekend, traveling to Drake – its final non-conference destination of the year, and Texas Tech. The Jayhawks will meet the Bulldogs on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa before traveling to Lubbock, Texas to battle the Red Raiders at 1 p.m. Sunday.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
About the Jayhawks
Kansas earned a tie and a loss in its first weekend of conference action. The Jayhawks rallied from separate one-goal deficits to force a tie at Baylor last Friday, before falling to third-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday. Freshman Rachel Morris and sophomore Shannon McCabe tallied goals in the tie with Baylor, while senior Nicole Cauzillo recorded her second goal of the year against the Aggies. KU returns 18 letterwinners and nine starters from last year’s squad, which finished 11-7-1 overall.
Jayhawks Available on All-Access
An audio broadcast of Sunday’s match at Texas Tech will be carried on CSTV’s All-Access and can be found at www.cstv.com. Users must register for a free online account through CSTV to access the broadcast.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Drake enters Friday’s match with the Jayhawks at 2-5-2 after splitting a pair of matches over the weekend. The Bulldogs earned a 2-1 victory at DePaul on Sept. 7 and recently defeated South DakotaState, 2-0, last Friday. Drake also earned ties against Nebraska and Denver this season.
Senior midfielder Nikki Thaden leads the team with two goals and two assists, while five other Bulldogs have scored goals this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Jenny Schroeder has made eight appearances in net and has a 1.28 goals against average, an .810 save percentage and a shut out.
Head coach Corbin Stone is in his sixth season at Drake and has a record of 59-37-13 at the school. Stone’s team returns six starters and 14 letterwinners from last year’s squad that finished 12-6-2 last season and won the Missouri Valley Conference. This will be the first meeting between Drake and Kansas on the soccer field, however the teams played an exhibition match during the pre-season in 2006. That contest ended in a 1-1 tie. KU is 14-6 all-time against the Missouri Valley Conference.
Baylor on the internet: www.drakebulldogs.org
Scouting the Red Raiders
Texas Tech enters the weekend after splitting a pair of Big 12 matches. The Red Raiders earned their first conference victory of the season at Colorado on Friday, before falling at No. 5 Texas Sunday.
Senior forward Priscilla Esquivel and sophomore Emmie Bennett are tied for the team lead with two goals, while junior Shannon Sims leads the team with two assists. Junior goalkeeper Tina Rincon has started eight matches and has a 3-4 record with a 1.11 goals against average and an .812 save percentage.
Head coach Tom Stone is in his first season with the Red Raiders and has the team off to a 3-4-1 start. Stone inherited a team that returns 10 starters and 16 letterwinners from last year’s squad, which finished 7-11-2. Kansas leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 8-3, including victories in seven of the last eight meetings. The Red Raiders’ last triumph came on Sept. 28, 2003 in Lubbock, by a 3-2 score. KU earned a 3-0 shutout last season in Lawrence.
Texas Tech on the internet: www.texastech.com
Last Time Out
Kansas fell to third-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday at the Aggie Soccer Complex. Senior Nicole Cauzillo recorded the lone goal for Kansas in the 65th minute of action. Sophomore Kim Boyer started the play, sending a cross from the near side to sophomore Monica Dolinsky, who touched a pass to Cauzillo for the goal. It was the senior’s second goal of the season.
More Morris
Freshman Rachel Morris made the most of her first collegiate start Friday, scoring KU’s first goal in a 2-2 tie at Baylor. Morris, who was a two-time all-state selection in high school, had appeared in just four of KU’s non-conference matches and played a total of 46 minutes. However, she played 68 minutes Friday at Baylor and 51 minutes against Texas A&M Sunday.
The freshman forward started opposite Jessica Bush against Baylor, and finished Bush’s feed in the 15th minute Friday.
Shannon McClutch
Scoring big goals is nothing new for sophomore Shannon McCabe, so it should come as no surprise that she played a key role in helping KU earn its first point of the conference season Friday. The sophomore midfielder erased a 2-1 deficit in the 66th minute against Baylor with her first goal of the season, a blast from the far side of the box.
McCabe has scored four times in her collegiate career and all four goals have either tied the match or given the Jayhawks the lead. The 5-foot-6 midfielder scored game-winning goals against No. 12 Duke and at Nebraska as a freshman.
Cauz and Effect
Senior midfielder Nicole Cauzillo scored her second goal of the season in Sunday’s loss at No. 3 Texas A&M. It marked the second time this season Cauzillo has scored against a ranked opponent. Her first goal of the season came in a 2-1 loss against 25th-ranked Illinois.
The senior leads the Jayhawks in scoring this year after enduring two injury-plagued seasons without a goal. During her freshman year at West Virginia, Cauzillo scored three goals and tallied 33 shots.
Quick Kicks
– KU will meet Drake for the first time in team history on Friday. The Jayhawks are 3-4 all-time in matches played in the state of Iowa, going 3-3 in Ames and 0-1 in Iowa City.
– Head coach Mark Francis is 12-1 against Missouri Valley Conference schools at KU.
– The Jayhawks will travel to Lubbock, Texas for the fourth time in the last six years on Sunday. Kansas has a 3-2 record at R.P. Fuller Stadium.
– Texas Tech is one of five Big 12 schools that KU has an all-time winning record against. The others are: Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma and OklahomaState.
– Sophomore Monica Dolinsky recorded her first point of the season in Sunday’s loss to Texas A&M. Last season, Dolinsky was second on the team with six goals, five assists and 17 points.
– Freshman Rachel Morris became the first Jayhawk to score a goal in her first collegiate start since Monica Dolinsky found the back of the net against Furman on Aug. 25 last year.
– Friday’s contest for Morris will be a homecoming of sorts as her older brother, Brett, played basketball at Drake last season.
– Three Jayhawks set career highs in minutes at Baylor. Senior Nicole Cauzillo and freshman Katie Williams played every minute of a double-overtime match, while Rachel Morris played a career high 68 minutes.
– Sophomore Meredith Monson saw her first action of the season Sunday, playing 12 minutes in KU’s loss at No. 3 Texas A&M.
– Kansas played in its fourth overtime match of the season, matching the total they played in all of last season. KU has played in overtime 12 times over the last two-plus seasons and has a record of 3-4-5.
– KU played to its second tie of the year, which matches the program record for ties in a season – last accomplished in 2005.
Looking Ahead
Kansas will return to the Jayhawk Soccer Complex next weekend with conference matches against No. 22 Oklahoma State and Oklahoma Friday and Sunday. KU’s match on Friday with the nationally ranked Cowgirls will feature a 4 p.m. kickoff, while Sunday’s match with the Sooners will start at 1 p.m. For tickets, call 1-800-34-HAWKS or buy them online at www.kuathletics.com.
