KU Soccer Hosts Missouri to Conclude Regular Season

Oct. 26, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

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The University of Kansas soccer team will host Missouri in a Border Showdown on Friday, Oct. 28. Kick off is set for 3 p.m. at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. With a victory, the Jayhawks will stay in contention for the Big 12 regular season title.

QUICK HITS
-Before the match, KU will honor its five seniors. Nicole Braman, Erin Ferguson, Kimberly Karfonta, Jessica Smith and Caroline Smith will play their last match at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

-Freshman Julie Hanley was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday.

-The Jayhawks have won three straight matches against the Tigers including a second round victory in the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

-Jessica Bush’s five assists this season sets a new KU freshman record. The Blue Springs, Mo., native surpassed Colleen Colvin who dished out four assists during her rookie campaign in 1997.

-Caroline Smith is one-goal shy of scoring her 50th career goal. Smith currently ranks fifth all-time in goals scored in Big 12 history.

-The Jayhawks are 7-0-1 on Friday’s and 8-0-0 when they take a lead into halftime.

PROMOTION
During halftime of Friday’s match, there will be a Halloween costume contest with the winner receiving a $100 prize pack courtesy of KUStore.com.

ABOUT MISSOURI
The Tigers are led by seniors Jennifer Nobis and Amber Swinehart. The duo ranks fifth and sixth in points in the Big 12 with 25 and 22, respectively. While Nobis racks up her points with assists (13), Swinehart tallies the goals (11). Sophomore Laura Buehrig has started all 18 matches in goal and carries a 1.17 goals against average.

Jessica Smith EARNS TWO WEEKLY HONORS
Senior Jessica Smith earned the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and a spot on the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week for her performance against Oklahoma State and #21 Oklahoma on Oct. 7 and 9.
Smith tallied the sixth hat trick in KU history against the Cowgirls, her first three goals of the season. Smith followed her three goal effort with another tally against the Sooners in the Jayhawks 3-0 victory.

CHANGING OF THE SEASONS
When the weather outside cools down, senior Jessica Smith’s game heats up. Of the Wichita, Kan., natives 16 career goals (fifth all-time at KU), 14 have come during the months of October and November. As a freshman in 2002, Smith scored all seven of her goals after the first of October. This season, all four of her goals have come in October.
Career Comparison:
Year Aug.-Sept. Oct.-Nov. Total
2002 0 7 7
2003 1 0 1
2004 1 3 4
2005 0 4 4
Total 2 14 16

HEAD COACH Mark Francis
The winningest soccer coach in KU history, Mark Francis returns for his seventh season as the Jayhawks head coach. Francis owns a 118-77-9 (.600) career record and an ever-improving 85-53-8 (.610) mark at KU. In just six seasons on the job, Francis has four times as many wins as any soccer coach in KU history.
Francis was honored with the 2004 Big 12 Coach of the Year award as well as the Central Region Coach of the Year. He won his 100th career match with a win over Texas Tech on October 1, 2004.
In 2004, the Jayhawks compiled a program-best record of 18-5 on their way to winning KU’s first Big 12 Championship. It was KU’s first women’s Big 12 Championship since the basketball team won the league title in 1997.

FRESH FACES
KU freshmen class of Jessica Bush, Missy Geha, Kristin Graves, Julie Hanley, Jenny Murtaugh and Sara Rogers have been solid contributors to the 2005 squad. Bush, Geha and Murtaugh have started all of KU’s matches this season. Below is a look at some of the contribution the Jayhawk freshman have had on the field.
Matches started 67
Matches played 92
Goals 7
Assists 6
Game-winning goals 5

LAST WEEKEND
KU secured two home victories by identical 2-1 scores. On Friday, Michelle Rasmussen and Kimberly Karfonta tallied goals in a non-conference match against Colorado College. Julie Hanley made four saves in net.
On Sunday, the Jayhawks defeated Texas in a nationally broadcast game on CSTV. Karfonta tallied her second game-winning goal of the weekend with less than four minutes remaining in the match. Caroline Smith had assists on both KU goals. Jessica Bush set a new record with her fifth assist as a freshman when Smith headed her corner kick over to Afton Sauer for the matches first goal.