Jayhawks Return Home to Close Out Big 12 Play
Oct. 17, 2012
Match Notes 
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas soccer returns home this weekend for a pair of league matches at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. KU will kickoff against the Iowa State Cyclones Friday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m. before hitting the pitch versus the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.
On the Air
Kansas will provide live video and play-by-play coverage of the Jayhawks’ weekend contests on AT&T Jayhawk All-Access. The video feed will be available to All-Access subscribers only, while all fans can tune in to Pete Knutson’s audio coverage. Fans can also follow the action via GameTracker on KUAthletics.com or on Twitter at KU_Soccer.
Series Histories
The Jayhawks lead the all-time series over the Cyclones 13-5. Kansas has won five of the last six meetings including a 6-1 victory in Ames on Oct. 23 last season. KU also leads in the all-time series with the Red Raiders 12-4-1, with the Jayhawks claiming wins in seven of the last nine meetings. KU defeated Texas Tech last season in Lubbock by a score of 3-1 on Oct. 14.
About the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks are coming off a weekend which saw them lose two-straight games for the first time this season. Junior Caroline Kastor leads the team in both points (20) and goals (nine) while senior Whitney Berry leads the squad and is second in the Big 12 with six assists. Kastor also leads the group in shots with 53 this year.
As a team, the Jayhawks have allowed just over one goal per match and are finding the back of the net 1.56 times per match. The Jayhawks have held their opponents to just 11.3 shots per game and four shots on goal per game. Sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud has started seven of KU’s previous eight matches and sports a 1.20 goals against average and has collected 24 saves.
Scouting the Cyclones
Iowa State is coming of a 3-0 non-conference victory over Drake last weekend in Ames. ISU has won three of its previous seven matches, each coming by way of shutouts. ISU is the second-most prolific scoring team in the Big 12, scoring 2.12 goals per game. The Cyclones also are tied for the lead in assists this year, amassing 29 on the season or 1.71 per match.
Iowa State features the Big 12’s points and goals leader, funior forward Jennifer Dominguez, who has scored 13 of ISU’s 34 goals this season. Sophomore Ashley Johnson is the team leader in assists with five, while Dominguez leads the squad in shots and shots on goal with 39 and 22, respectively. Dominquez has also collected four game-winning goals this year.
The Cyclone defense has held its opponents to 1.12 goals per game in 2012 but has notched seven shutouts in 17 outings this season. Iowa State’s junior goalkeeper Maddie Jobe has played the majority of the minutes in goal for ISU this year and has posted three shutouts. Jobe is second in the Big 12 in save percentage, stopping 83.1 percent of opponent shots on frame this year. She has collected 49 saves and has a .92 goals against average.
Wendy Dillinger is in her fifth season as the head coach of the Iowa State women’s soccer program. In her four years at Iowa State, Dillinger has coached the Cyclones to multiple victories over nationally ranked teams, wins over NCAA Championship-bound squads and triumphs over teams that were defending Big 12 Conference regular-season and post-season champions.
Scouting the Red Raiders
Texas Tech has amassed a record of 12-4 through the first 16 matches of the season and has won six of its last seven matches. The Red Raiders are coming off an undefeated weekend were they took down Texas, 1-0 in Austin and Francis Marion 3-0 in Lubbock. TTU currently sits in a tie for third in the Big 12 point standings entering the final weekend of league play.
The Red Raiders have three players who have scored five goals or more this season and are led by freshman forward Janine Beckie in goals, who has tallied nine in her debut campaign in Lubbock. Texas Tech has amassed 303 shots with 154 of those on goal and has outscored their opponents 18 to seven in its previous seven matches, six of them victories. Texas Tech is second in the Big 12 in offside penalties with 41 in 2012.
The TTU defense has held its opponents to a one goal average in 2012 and collected seven shutouts on the year. The Red Raiders have also allowed just 10.1 shots per match. Texas Tech’s junior goalkeeper Victoria Esson has played in 15 of their 16 matches this season and has posted 4.2 shutouts and 10 wins this season. Esson has collected a 1.06 goals against average and a .805 save percentage.
Tom Stone is in his six season at the helm at Texas Tech. During his tenure in Lubbock, Stone has built the Texas Tech program into an annual contender in the Big 12 Conference most recently guiding the Red Raiders to their highest finish in school history. The Red Raiders finished fourth in 2011 in what is consistently regarded as one of the toughest conferences in the country.
Last Time Out
The Jayhawks were only able to collect a season-low three shots on goal as the Texas Longhorns handed KU its second-straight 1-0 loss Sunday afternoon in Austin. Caroline Kastor led the team with five total shots for the match. Senior Whitney Berry was the only other Jayhawk to get into the shots column, with three for the game.
Getting Defensive
KU has allowed just 17 goals this season, which puts it in the NCAA’s top-100 in goals against average this year at 1.02 opponent goals per match. The Jayhawks’ average through their first 16 matches is the lowest since 2006 when KU allowed 14 goals through the opening 16 games.
KU also leads the Big 12 in opponent shot on goal percentage with only 34.3 of their opponents’ shots being on frame. The Jayhawks are second only to Baylor in the Big 12 in total opponent shots on goal with 62 in 2012.
Back-to-Back Losses a Rarity
The Jayhawks’ two loses last weekend ended a string of 23 consecutive matches without two loses in a row. That marks the end of the second-longest streak in program history as the Jayhawks hadn’t lost two-straight since dropping games to Texas A&M and Baylor in the first week of October last season.
The program record for consecutive matches without two-straight loses is 68, which spanned four seasons from 2003-06.
Help Me, Whitney
Kansas senior Whitney Berry etched her name in the Kansas record books two weeks ago, recording two assists to give her the school’s career record for helpers with 31. Her 31 assists moved her past former teammate Monica Dolinsky, who collected 30 from 2006-09.
Berry has been one of the best playmakers in Kansas history and fittingly, her record-breaking assist came on the game-winning goal against TCU on Sept. 30 when she set up Caroline Kastor. The senior’s 31 assists are also the most among active players in the Big 12 and rank 13th in conference history.
Play Nice
Kansas has proven to be one of the least penalized teams in the Big 12 this season. The Jayhawks have yet to be issued a yellow or red card this year, which makes them the only team in the Big 12 to not have been given a caution this season. The 16-straight caution-less matches is a team record for consecutive games with no cards, beating out the 2010 Jayhawks, who started the season with no cautions or red cards in their first nine matches.
Through 16 matches the Jayhawks are also averaging just eight fouls per match with a total of 128 in 2012, the third fewest in the Big 12.
Odds and Ends
-Each of Kansas’ six losses have come by one goal this year.
-Kansas is 8-3-1 against teams outside the top 30 in the RPI rankings this year.
-KU is 8-0-1 in matches when the Jayhawks score first.
Up Next
The Jayhawks will close out the 2012 regular season when they host Northern Colorado at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex on Friday, Oct. 26. The match, which will kick off at 3 p.m., will be the final home contest for seniors Whitney Berry, Nicole Chrisopulos, Cassie Dickerson, Amy Grow, Kat Liebetrau, Sarah Robbins and Shelby Williamson.
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