Kansas Hits the Road to Face #12 Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
Oct. 8, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
After splitting a pair of Big 12 matches at home, the Kansas soccer team will embark on its final regular season weekend away from home. The Jayhawks take on No. 12 Oklahoma State at 7 p.m., Friday evening, before facing Oklahoma at 1 p.m., Sunday.
Live statistical updates from matches will be featured on CBS College Sports’ Gametracker. Fans can access Gametracker from the Jayhawks’ official website, www.kuathletics.com. Friday’s match will feature free live audio from Oklahoma State’s web site: www.okstate.com, with registration for an account. Live video is also available for this match, with a $9.95 subscription fee.
Last Time Out
Despite outshooting 15th-ranked Colorado by a 2-to-1 margin, the Kansas soccer team could not find the back of the net Sunday, and fell to the Buffaloes, 2-0 at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. KU had a 12-4 edge in shots during the first half, but multiple diving saves by CU goalkeeper Kirstin Radlinski kept the match scoreless. The Buffaloes scored consecutive goals in 10-minute span during the second half to earn the win.
Scouting the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State enters the weekend at 10-1-1 overall after starting the season with nine consecutive victories. The Cowgirls suffered their first setback of the year last Friday, falling 2-1 to No. 7 Texas A&M. OSU leads the Big 12 in goals (45) and goal differential (+35), having outscored its nine non-conference opponents, 38-6.
The Cowgirls return nine starters and 18 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including 2006 Big 12 Player of the Year Yolanda Odenyo. The senior forward leads the conference with ten goals this season, while junior Kasey Langdon is tops in assists (11) and total points (25). Senior goalkeeper Erin Stigler has started all 12 games between the posts and has an 0.82 goals against average, and two shutouts. Stigler has made 33 saves in 41 chances.
Head coach Colin Carmichael is in his fourth year at Oklahoma State and has an overall record of 41-15-9. Carmichael has led the Cowgirls to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons.
Jayhawk-Cowgirl Connections
– Kansas junior forward Shannon McCabe and Oklahoma State freshman Sarah Brown and sophomore Allyson Leggett all attended Jenks High School in Jenks, Okla. Brown and McCabe are both products of the Tulsa Soccer Club, however each played different years.
– Kansas sophomore defender Katie Williamsand Oklahoma State freshman Elizabeth DeLozier both grew up in Houston, Texas and both played for the South Texas ODP and Region 3 ODP teams. Cowgirl forward Melanie Adelman also grew up in Houston, but was never teammates with Williams.
– Kansas sophomore midfielder Sarah Salazar and Oklahoma State forward Katie Richardson were teammates at Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Okla. Salazar and Richardson also played on the Region III ODP team together. Salazar was also club teammates with OSU’s Allyson Leggett on Hurricane `89 FC.
– Kansas head coach Mark Francis begin his college coaching career at the University of South Alabama in 1996. Oklahoma State head coach Colin Carmichael graduated from USA in 1993, and worked with the both the men’s and women’s soccer programs in various capacities until 1996. However, the coaches were not at the school at the same time.
Scouting the Sooners
Oklahoma enters the weekend with just one victory, but is still a very dangerous team. OU has played one of the most grueling schedules in the country as its 12 opponents have combined for a 92-38-9 record (.694) this season.
The Sooners are rebuilding under first-year head coach Nicole Nelson, and return nine starters from last year’s team. Sophomore Whitney Palmer is the team’s leading scorer with five goals this season, while sophomore Kelsey Allison is tops with three assists. Freshman goalkeeper Lisa Jett has started all 12 matches in net, and has a 2.80 goals against average. Jett has stopped 72 of 106 chances this season for a .679 save percentage.
Head coach Nicole Nelson is her first season at OU. Nelson previously held assistant coaching positions at Texas and Baylor as well as the head coaching job at Stephen F. Austin from 2002-04. She has a 34-30-9 overall record as a Division I head coach.
Jayhawk-Sooner Connections
– Kansas junior forward Shannon McCabe and Oklahoma junior Ashley Farrand were teammates on several teams, including at Jenks High School, on the Tulsa Soccer Club `88 team as well as on the Oklahoma ODP state team.
– Current Oklahoma Assistant Head Coach Kara Lowery is a former assistant coach on Mark Francis’staff at Kansas. Lowery served as an assistant with the Jayhawks from 2005-07.
A Little Bit of Monica
Junior midfielder Monica Dolinsky scored her sixth goal of the season in the Jayhawks’ 2-0 win over Texas Tech on Friday. The junior’s 15 offensive points are the most by a Kansas player this season – and rank her sixth in the Big 12 – while her six goals are tied for the team lead.
After suffering through a slow start to her sophomore year, the junior midfielder has found her shot again. Her six goals match her total from her freshman season, while she is just two points shy of reaching her career high from 2006, when she was an All-Big 12 and All-Central Region selection.
L-Jax
Lauren Jackson has given the Jayhawks a boost on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field this season. The sophomore defender has a goal and two assists this season from her outside back position.
More importantly for Jackson and the Jayhawks, the sophomore is second on the team with 1,016 minutes played, sitting out just 80 minutes the entire season. Last season, Jackson showed potential, but missed several matches with various injuries throughout the year.
Missy In Action
Senior midfielder Missy Geha returned to the Kansas starting lineup this past weekend after missing nearly a month of action. Geha scored the game-winning goal in KU’s 3-0 triumph over then-No. 20 Purdue in the first match of the season, and did not return to the lineup until the Sept. 26 match at Nebraska.
Prior to this season, Geha had missed just one start in her career – the first round of the Big 12 Championship in 2007. Her presence in the midfield helps solidify the Kansas offense.
Quick Kicks
– The Jayhawks hit the road for conference games number five and six this season against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. KU is 6-4-2 all-time in the state of Oklahoma, which includes matches with Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts and Tulsa.
– The NCAA released it’s RPI rankings for the 2008 soccer season through 12 matches, and KU came in ranked 41st in the country. Last season, Auburn (48th) had the lowest RPI ranking and still qualified for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, with all teams 1-40 being selected for the tournament. The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It is one of the factors used in selecting teams to the NCAA Tournament.
– Redshirt junior Julie Hanleyearned her third shutout of the season against Texas Tech on Oct. 3. The 5-foot-8 goalkeeper is tied for third in the Big 12 in shutouts, and ranks second all-time at Kansas, blanking 12 opponents in her career.
– Freshman Emily Cressyscored an insurance goal in the 85th minute in the 2-0 win over Texas Tech. Cressy is tied for the team lead with six goals this season, with five of them coming in the second half. She has also scored three of her goals during the final 10 minutes of play.
– Junior Shannon McCabe collected her fourth assist on Cressy’s goal against Texas Tech. The third-year forward has matched her career high in assists (four) and points (eight) already this season.
– The Jayhawks were shut out for the first time this season in the 2-0 loss to No. 15 Colorado on Oct. 5. KU had gone 11 consecutive contests – dating back to the first round of the 2007 Big 12 Championship – without being blanked. It marks the longest such streak since the team went 15 straight matches without being shutout from Oct. 29, 2004 to Sept. 25, 2005.
– In KU’s four losses this season, the Jayhawks have outshot their opposition by a 66-39 margin. The Jayhawks have only been outshot in three matches this season, losing just one of them – 2-1 in overtime to Nebraska on Sept. 26.
Cressy Earns Second Weekly Honor
Kansas freshman forward Emily Cressy was named the Big 12 Soccer Newcomer of the Week on Sept. 23. This marks the second time this season that Cressy has earned the honor from the conference office. On Aug. 26, Cressy was named the Newcomer of the Week, while junior defender Estelle Johnson earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Kansas freshman has also been selected to the Elite Team of the Week (Aug. 27) by Soccer Buzz, as well as topdrawersoccer.com’s Team of the Week on Sept. 10.
Double Trouble
Three different Kansas athletic teams feature identical twins on their rosters, including freshmen Kelsey and Kortney Clifton on the Jayhawk soccer team. The Cliftons join Amy and Missy Geha as the second set of sisters to play soccer at KU, and the first to appear on the team at the same time.
Recently, Kelsey Clifton replaced her sister in a match, and made an immediate impact, scoring a go-ahead goal in a Jayhawk victory over 18th-ranked UCF. Kortney Clifton is currently third on the team with four goals and an assist this season. Other twins on KU athletic squads include freshmen Markieff and Marcus Morris (men’s basketball), as well as sophomores Alyssa and Brittany Potter (swimming and diving).
Up Next
Following the trip to Oklahoma, the Jayhawks will return to the Jayhawk Soccer Complex for the final homestand of the year. Kansas will take on nationally ranked Texas A&M on Friday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m., and non-conference foe Francis Marion at noon, Sunday, Oct. 19.
The Texas A&M match will precede Late Night in the Phog. The first 1,000 fans in attendance at the soccer match will be guaranteed a seat for the first basketball event of the year at Allen Fieldhouse.
