October 31, 2005

KU to Face Nebraska in First Round of Big 12 Soccer Championship

Oct. 31, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Complete Notes in PDF

Big 12 Championship Bracket

After finishing the regular season in a four team tie for second place, the University of Kansas earned the No. 5 seed in the 2005 Big 12 Soccer Championship. The Jayhawks will face the No. 4 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

-Kansas and Nebraska played to a 0-0 draw on Sept. 30 in Lincoln, Neb.

-Junior Holly Gault was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after her double overtime goal led KU to a 3-2 victory over Missouri on Friday.

-KU had four players honored by the Big 12. Caroline Smith and Holly Gault were named All-Big 12 First Team while freshmen Jessica Bush and Missy Geha were named to the Big 12 Newcomer team.

-KU has won two straight first round matches at the Big 12 Championship.

-Caroline Smith scored her 50th career goal against Missouri. Smith currently ranks fifth all-time in goals scored in Big 12 history.

KU BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY (2-5)
Date Opponent W/L Score
11/1/00 Nebraska L 4-0
11/8/01 Missouri L (2ot) 4-1
11/7/02 Missouri L 2-1
11/6/03 Oklahoma W 1-0
11/7/03 Oklahoma State L 1-0
11/3/04 Iowa State W 3-1
11/5/04 Texas L (2ot) 3-2

ABOUT NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers enter the Big 12 Championship having won four of their last six matches. NU is led by 2004 and 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year, Brittany Timko. In her last four matches, the junior forward has five goals and four assists. On the season, Timko leads the Big 12 with 18 assists.

LAST WEEKEND
The Jayhawks concluded their regular season on Friday with a 3-2 double overtime victory over rival Missouri. Junior Holly Gault ripped a shot from 15-yards out for the game-winning goal in the 104th minute of the match. Michelle Rasmussen tied the match at 2-2 with a goal during the 57th minute. Senior Caroline Smith scored her 50th career goal when she got KU on the scoreboard 2:57 into the match. KU honored five seniors before the match (Nicole Braman, Erin Ferguson, Kimberly Karfonta, Caroline Smith and Jessica Smith).

ROOKIE RECORD
Freshman Jessica Bush’s six 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.

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 119-77-9 (.602) career record and an ever-improving 86-53-8 (.612) 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.