Dolinsky, Bush Spark KU past Missouri, 4-0
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Freshman Monica Dolinsky tallied two goals and two assists while sophomore Jessica Bush recorded a pair of goals as the University of Kansas blanked Missouri, 4-0, Sunday afternoon at Walton Stadium.
The win moves KU to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference, while the Tigers fall to 9-7 and 1-6 in conference play.
“I thought we did a great job of winning both halves,” KU head coach Mark Francis said. “That’s something we said we wanted to do at halftime, and something we didn’t do on Friday. We wanted to make sure we came out with the same intensity in the second half, because (MU head coach) Bryan’s (Blitz) teams never give up.”
Dolinsky’s six points in the match ties her for the second-most in team history. Five other Jayhawks have accomplished the feat, including Jessica Smith, who had a four-point match against Oklahoma State last season.
For the second-straight contest, Bush put the Jayhawks up early. In the seventh minute, the sophomore midfielder tallied her second goal of the weekend on a rebound. After Dolinsky’s shot was knocked down by the Missouri defense, Bush cleaned up the loose ball from 15 yards out for her fourth goal of the season at 6:53.
Dolinsky then tallied her team-leading fifth goal of the season on a blast from 20 yards out that hit the crossbar and bounced in. Sophomore Missy Geha collected her first career assist on the play. It was Dolinsky’s first goal since she recorded the game-tying goal against Duke on Sept. 10.
KU took a 3-0 lead in the 49th minute on Bush’s second goal of the afternoon. Following a throw-in, Dolinsky took control of the ball on the far side of the box and dropped a pass back to Bush, who fired a shot from the far corner into the near side of the net. It marked the sophomore’s first multi-goal match of her career and her second multi-point contest this season.
Dolinsky found the net for the second time late in the match with another blast from the top of the box.
KU’s defense took care of the rest, holding its second consecutive opponent scoreless. Goalkeepers Julie Hanley and Colleen Quinn combined for the shutout, making six saves. MU outshot the Jayhawks 12-4 in the second half, but a majority of the Tigers’ attempts were taken from outside of 20 yards.
Bush and Dolinsky led the KU charge with three shots each.
The 4-0 win over Missouri was KU’s fifth straight in the Border Showdown series. The Tigers have not beaten the Jayhawks on the soccer field since the 2002 Big 12 Tournament.
The Jayhawks will look to continue their momentum against Baylor on Friday in a 3 p.m., match at the KU Soccer Complex.
KU Game Notes: The four-goal differential was KU’s largest victory of the season, and largest since the Jayhawks won 4-0 at Texas Tech on Oct. 14 of last year … Dolinsky’s six points tied for the second-most points in a single-match in KU history. Only Caroline Smith’s seven-point match against Northwestern on Aug. 29, 2003 was better … With the win, KU takes a 3-1.5 lead in the Border Showdown presented by the Midwest Ford Dealers.
