Jayhawks Host #6 Texas A&M, Francis Marion This Weekend

Oct. 14, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

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The Kansas soccer team will look to get back on track with a pair of home matches this weekend at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. KU plays host to No. 6 Texas A&M Friday at 4 p.m., and Francis Marion on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Friday evening’s match with the Aggies will feature a cross promotion with Late Night in the Phog. The first 1,000 fans in attendance at the soccer match will receive a voucher to guarantee them a seat at the basketball event later in the evening. Sunday’s match will feature free t-shirts to all fans through the gate, while supplies last.

Both matches will be featured on Gametracker by CBS College Sports. A link for Gametracker can be found at the Jayhawks’ official website, www.kuathletics.com.

Last Time Out

Senior Jessica Bush scored her first goal of the season and senior goalkeeper Stephanie Baugh made five saves as Kansas and Oklahoma played to a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon at John Crain Field in Norman, Okla. The Jayhawks scored an unassisted goal by Bush in the second minute of action to take a 1-0 lead, but could not increase the lead.

Scouting the Aggies

Texas A&M enters Friday’s Big 12 tussle as winners of five straight and undefeated in its last 11 contests. The only blemish on the Aggies’ record is a 3-2 home loss to No. 3 North Carolina on Aug. 29. Since that match, Texas A&M has outscored its opponents by a 23-5 count.

Unlike Oklahoma State, who the Jayhawks faced last weekend, the Aggies feature a very balanced offensive attack. Senior midfielder Laura G. Robinson leads the team with 13 points and is tied with freshman Jennifer Kmezich for the team lead in goals with five. Eleven different Aggies have scored this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Dyer has started the last 11 matches for the Aggies after taking over for junior Kristin Arnold. Dyer has posted an 0.49 goals against average and five shutouts. The sophomore has made 48 saves in 54 chances in net.

Texas A&M head coach G. Guerreri is in his 16th season and has an overall record of 267-74-15 with the Aggies. He is 283-86-15 in 17-plus years at Texas A&M and Rollins College. He has led the Aggies to four consecutive Big 12 championships and 13 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

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 freshmen on the Real Colorado ’90 team.

– Jayhawk sophomore Katie Williams as well as Texas A&M’s Amber Gnatzig, Nicole Ketchum and Nicole Laura Grace Robinson are all products of the Challenge Soccer Club in Houston, Texas, Williams, Gnatzig and Ketchum were all teammates with Challenge ’88.

– KU’s Alex Winchester and Texas A&M’s Rachel Shipley and Carly Wohlers all grew up in Plano, Texas, but were never teammates.

Scouting the Patriots

Francis Marion enters the weekend having won two straight after going winless through their first 11 matches. The Patriots opened the season with nine straight losses, but are 2-1-1 over the last two weeks, allowing just three goals during that time.

Freshman midfielder Amanda Hall leads the team with three goals this season, including a pair of game-winners. Hall is tied for the team lead in points (six) with junior Angela Salem, who has a goal and a team-high four assists. Five different Patriots have scored goals this season. Freshman goalkeeper Casey Durham has started the last three matches and has appeared in six contests this year. Durham has a 0.99 goals against average and the team’s only shutout. The first-year keeper has made 22 saves in 26 chances in net.

Head coach Marty Beall is in his sixth season at Francis Marion and has an overall record of 52-42-7 at the school. Beall led the Patriots to a 10-7-1 record last season.

Jayhawk-Patriot Connections

– Kansas midfielder Jordyn Perdueand Francis Marion midfielder Kirby Stenard are both products of the Ohio ODP. However, the pair were never teammates.

AmBUSHing Oklahoma

While the result may have been surprising, it came as no surprise that senior Jessica Bush scored KU’s lone goal in the 1-1 draw with Oklahoma Sunday. In four career matches against the Sooners, the 5-foot-2 midfielder has three goals, including the game-winner in the 2006 meeting in Norman.

With a goal and an assist in action this past weekend, Bush moved up in the KU record books. She now ranks second in team history in assists (20), sixth in points (48), eighth in goals (14), third in shots (131) and tied for third in shots on goal (62). Her six assists this season match a career high.

Missy In Action

Senior Missy Geha tallied her second goal of the season in Friday’s loss to No. 12 Oklahoma State. The 5-foot-6 midfielder ran onto a chance created by Jessica Bush in the 45th minute, and fired a shot off the post for her second goal of the season and fifth of her career.

Both of Geha’s goals have come in clutch moments for the Jayhawks this season. Her first broke a scoreless tie in the second half of KU’s 3-0 win over then-No. 20 Purdue, while this last weekend’s goal nearly helped the Jayhawks upset the 12th-ranked Cowgirls. Of her five career goals, three of them have proven to be game-winners.

Quick Kicks

– Kansas plays host to Texas A&M Friday. This will mark the 10th straight meeting between the teams when the Aggies have been ranked in the Top 25, and third straight year TAMU has been ranked among the top 10.

– With the loss to Oklahoma State over the weekend, KU drops to 2-4 against teams ranked in the Top 25 this season. With Texas A&M (#6), Texas (#14) and Missouri (#24) remaining on KU’s ledger, the Jayhawks might play nine of their 19 regular-season contests against ranked opponents – a program high.

– KU’s Sunday opponent – Francis Marion – is a Division I school independent of a conference affiliation. This marks the Jayhawks’ first match against a Division I Independent since a 2005 contest against Colorado College, which has since joined Conference USA.

– Junior Estelle Johnson scored her first collegiate goal in the Oct. 10 loss to Oklahoma State. Johnson became the 12th different Jayhawk to score a goal this season – the most since 12 KU athletes tallied goals during the 2004 season.

– Freshman Kelsey Clifton was credited with an assist on KU’s second goal in the Oct. 10 match with Oklahoma State. Clifton’s three points are the third-most by a KU freshman this season.

– Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Baugh made her first career start Sunday at Oklahoma, and posted a career-high five saves to help the Jayhawks earn the draw. Baugh has played 142 minutes between the posts this season and has allowed one goal in 10 chances.

– Both of KU’s matches over the weekend went into overtime, marking the first time since last September that the Jayhawks have been involved in back-to-back overtime contests. It was also the third-straight regular season meeting with Oklahoma State that needed more than 90 minutes to be decided.

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 Cliftonon 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. 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).

To Brazil and Back

In May, the Kansas soccer team embarked on a nine-day tour of Brazil. The Jayhawks spent just over a week enjoying the fun and sun, and also played four exhibition matches against Brazilian club teams, winning two. According to Head Coach Mark Francis, the trip brought the Jayhawks closer together and should positively impact their 2008 campaign.

Miller Elevated to Associate Head Coach

Veteran assistant coach Kelly Miller had his title changed to Associate Head Coach of the Kansas soccer program in March. Miller has worked with the Jayhawks for the past nine seasons, first as a volunteer assistant before assuming a full-time assistant coaching job on Francis’ staff prior to the 2000 season. He has primarily worked with the goalkeepers, helping the development of First Team All-American Meghan Miller as well as Colleen Quinn and Julie Hanley in recent years.

Marjanovic Named Jayhawk Assistant Coach

Former Nevada assistant coach Antoinette Marjanovic was named an assistant soccer coach at KU in February. Marjanovic spent last season as the interim head coach at the University of Nevada-Reno last season, taking over the program in August 2007. She spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach with the Wolfpack.

Up Next

Kansas will complete its 2008 home schedule with a pair of Big 12 matches Oct. 24 and 26. The Jayhawks will host nationally ranked Texas on Oct. 24 at 3 p.m., and Baylor at 1 p.m., Oct. 26.