Liebetrau hits Century Mark with 100th save in 2-1 Loss to Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. – Goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau surpassed the 100-save mark Friday afternoon, in Lincoln, Neb. But Kansas failed to equalize two goals by the Huskers (12-5-1, 5-3-1 Big 12), as the Jayhawks (5-12-0, 1-8-0 Big 12) fell 2-0 at the Nebraska Soccer Field.
Goalkeeper Kat Liebetrau, who has led the Big 12 in saves and saves per match this season, hit the century mark in the 65th minute when she collected her 100th save of the season, becoming just the sixth keeper in
Kansas’ 15-year program history to do so. With a total of five in the match, Liebetrau now has 102 for her sophomore campaign and needs five more to move into fifth-place on KU’s all-time single season save list.
Whitney Berry scored KU’s lone goal of the contest, scoring on a penalty kick in the 85th minute of the game.
Nebraska got on the board halfway through the first half when Jordan Jackson connected on a corner kick and placed a shot in the left corner from a few yards out.
Still down 1-0 at the start of the second half, KU struggled to take possession of the ball. Just 10 minutes into the second half, the Huskers scored their final goal to maintain their lead.
Liebetrau came out of the goal in the 55th minute to smother a ball just to the left of the goal. But the ball was knocked loose from Liebetrau by Colleen Goetzman, who dribbled around the Kansas keeper and tapped the ball in for the goal.
Berry tried to cut the deficit in half with a strong shot from the top of the box a few minutes later. Berry squared up and aimed low, managing to knock goalkeeper Tara McDonald off balance, but McDonald managed to make the catch.
The Jayhawks finally broke through with just five minutes left to play. Caroline Kastor went up for a header on the left side of the box and was caught in a collision with McDonald, as the keeper jumped up and over
Kastor in an attempt to block the ball. Kastor went down to the ground and McDonald was called for a foul, giving Kansas a penalty kick.
With Berry kicking for KU, McDonald dove to her right while Berry shot to the left, putting the score at 2-1.
But the Husker defense made the second goal stand up, as KU couldn’t manage another shot in final minutes.
The Jayhawks will finish the final Big 12 weekend Monday, when they visit Colorado. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.
