Kansas Faces Nebraska in Crucial Big 12 Match
Oct. 20, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Kansas soccer will play host to Nebraska and Iowa State in the penultimate weekend of the regular season. The Jayhawks will take on the Cornhuskers at 3 p.m., Friday. The first 500 fans arriving at Friday’s match receive Kansas Swirler Flags.
Gametracker will be available with live statistical updates for the match Friday. Fans can find a link to Gametracker here.
ABOUT THE JAYHAWKS
Kansas enters the weekend looking to move up in the Big 12 Conference standings. The Jayhawks currently sit in ninth-place, with the top eight teams earning invitations to the Big 12 Championship in San Antonio, Texas. KU split a pair of conference matches last weekend, winning 2-1 in Oklahoma, before falling in double overtime at Baylor by a 2-1 score.
KU’s offense is led by sophomore Emily Cressy’s eight goals and 19 points this season. Freshman Whitney Berry has five goals, and is tops on the team with seven assists. Redshirt freshman Kat Liebetrau has posted a 5-1 record in net this season along with a 1.16 goals against average and a .750 save percentage with two shutouts.
LAST TIME OUT
Lisa Silwinski’s shot to the top near corner off a free kick in the 107th minute gave Baylor a 2-1 overtime triumph over Kansas in a Big 12 soccer match Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field. With 3:50 remaining in the second overtime period, BU defender Betsy Kyle was fouled just outside the box 22 yards away from goal. That set up Silwinski’s free kick, which rattled off the crossbar and into the net at 106:27.
SCOUTING THE CORNHUSKERS
Nebraska enters Friday’s match at 9-3-4 overall and 3-2-2 in the Big 12 and is looking to solidify its conference standing and boost its NCAA Tournament resume this weekend.
The Cornhuskers boast the nation’s top scorer in freshman Morgan Marlborough. Marlborough has scored 21 goals this season, including seven in Big 12 contests. Her 46 points this season are the most by an athlete in the Big 12 since Texas A&M’s Ashlee Pistorius tallied 59 points in 2007. Nebraska has averaged 3.31 goals per match this season. In net, junior Jessica Mills has made 11 starts and has a 1.16 goals against average along with a .714 save percentage with 25 stops in 35 chances.
Nebraska leads the all-time series with the Jayhawks, 13-3 with two ties, however the teams have split their last four meetings. The Huskers won last year’s meeting, 2-1 in overtime, on Sept. 26 in Lincoln, Neb.
JAYHAWK-CORNHUSKER CONNECTIONS
- Kansas juniors Caitlin Noble, Rachel Morris and Geneva Magness and Nebraska defender Brittany Goosen were all teammates with the KCFC Alliance Futuras for several years.
- Morris was also teammates with Nebraska’s Jordan Jackson at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kan.
- Kansas juniors Erin Ellefson and Erin Lewis were teammates with the Huskers’ Blair Slapper on the KCFC Alliance Heat. Ellefson, Lewis and Morris were also teammates with Slapper and Goosen on the Kansas ODP and Region II ODP teams.
- Jayhawk sophomore Sierra Miramontez and NU’s Jordan Jackson were also teammates at the Kansas state ODP and Region II levels.
- KU seniors Estelle Johnson and Monica Dolinsky were teammates with the Huskers’ Carly Peetz and Molly Thomas on the Fort Collins (Colo.) Force, a women’s summer collegiate team.
THE CLOSER
Sophomore Emily Cressy once again proved to be one of the best finishers in Kansas history, scoring the game-winning goal in Friday’s 2-1 triumph over Oklahoma. Cressy has made a habit of scoring game-deciding goals for the Jayhawks in her career. Her tally against the Sooners gave her eight game-winning goals, third-most in Kansas history.
Not only does the sophomore forward lead the team in scoring, she has been a clutch performer, as four of her eight goals have come in the second half, while four of them have either tied the game or given KU the lead. She is currently fourth in the Big 12 in goals (eight) and tied for fourth in points (19).
HELP ME, SHELBY
After going the first 15 matches of the season without an assist, Kansas midfielder Shelby Williamson broke through in a big way against Oklahoma Friday. The freshman from Colorado Springs, Colo., assisted on both KU goals in the Jayhawks’ 2-1 triumph over the Sooners.
Williamson, who is second on the team with six goals, found fellow freshman Whitney Berry with a cross late in the first half to tie the score at one. In the second half, the freshman hit Emily Cressy with a through-ball to give KU the 2-1 win. Williamson is the third Jayhawk to record a multi-assist match.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Jayhawks have been extremely successful throughout the years at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, especially during Mark Francis’ tenure. KU is 76-41-5 at home all-time, including 64-25-5 under Francis. KU has had just three seasons where it has a sub-.500 record at home.
This season, home field advantage has been especially beneficial to the Jayhawks as KU is 5-1 in Lawrence, Kan. this season.
CORNER KICKS
- The Jayhawks will play the final three matches of the regular season at home. KU will likely need wins in at least two of those contests to clinch its 10th consecutive trip to the Big 12 Championship. The Jayhawks have not missed the conference tournament since 1999.
- Kansas freshman Whitney Berry scored her fourth goal in the last three weeks in the 2-1 triumph over Oklahoma on Oct. 15. Berry’s five goals rank third in the Big 12 among freshmen.
- The Jayhawks allowed an own goal in Sunday’s loss to Baylor. It marked the first time KU has given up an own goal since a 2005 loss to Wisconsin.
- The Jayhawks’ three second-half goals in the Texas Tech match (Oct. 9) tied the season-high. KU also scored three times in the second half of its 5-0 win over San Diego on Sept. 18, as well as three goals in the first half of a 3-1 win over Long Beach State on Sept. 4.
- Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau set a career high with six saves in the win over Texas Tech on Oct. 9. The six stops also matched the most by any Jayhawk keeper this season.
- Jumping out to an early lead has been an important key in KU’s success this season. The Jayhawks are 8-2 when scoring the first goal, as well as 6-0 when they hold a lead at the half.
UP NEXT
Kansas soccer will host Iowa State in the next-to-last match of the regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. Both teams will be seeking a win to move into position for the Big 12 Championship, which begins Nov. 4 in San Antonio, Texas.
