Kansas Faces Rival Missouri on Senior Day

Oct. 31, 2007

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The <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas soccer team plays host to Border Showdown rival Missouri Friday in the final match of the regular season. The Jayhawks will face the 18th-ranked Tigers at 3 p.m. at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. Friday will also be Senior Day as KU seniors Kelsey Archuleta, Nicole Cauzillo,Colleen Quinn, Afton Sauerand Emily Strinden will be honored with a ceremony following the match.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

This Week’s Promotions

This Friday, the first 250 fans through the gate receive a free Kansas soccer t-shirt. The Jayhawks will recognize their senior class, but will also welcome back its alumni with free admission to the match. All KU Alumni Association members will receive $3 admission when they present their membership cards.

About the Jayhawks

Kansas (6-9-4, 4-2-3 Big 12) clinched a spot in the Big 12 Soccer Championship with Sunday’s victory over IowaState. The Jayhawks could move up as high as second-place in the conference standings with a win over Missouri and a loss by Texas. A win does guarantee KU would finish no worse than third, regardless of what happens in other games around the league. The Jayhawks defeated Nebraska (3-1) and IowaState (1-0) last weekend for their first home weekend sweep of the season. KU returns 18 letterwinners and nine starters from last year’s squad which finished 11-7-1.

Scouting the Tigers

Missouri (12-5, 6-3 Big 12) enters the final match of the regular season ranked 18th in the country and can lock up the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Soccer Championship with a win. MU split a pair of home matches last weekend, falling to IowaState in overtime (1-0) before topping Nebraska (3-1). The Tigers have outscored their opponents 46-21 this season, but are just plus-one in goal differential (8-7) over their last five matches.

Sophomore midfielder Kristin Andrighetto leads the team in goals (12), assists (eight) and points (32). She ranks second in goals and points and first in assists in the Big 12. Sophomore forward Michelle Collins is second on the team with 10 goals and 24 points. Sophomore goalkeeper Tasha Dittamore has started the last three matches and has posted an 0.88 goals against average, a .682 save percentage and three shutouts in 10 appearances this season. Backup goalkeeper Mallory Frost saw more action earlier in the season, but has not started since the first half of the Texas match on Oct. 19. Frost has a 1.49 goals against average and a .720 save percentage in nine starts.

Head coach Bryan Blitz is in his 12th season at Missouri and has an overall record of 124-111-9 with the Tigers. Blitz’ team returns 12 letterwinners and nine starters from last year’s squad, which finished 10-9 overall. KU leads the all-time series with the Tigers, 7-6, including wins in the last five meetings, dating back to 2002. Missouri’s last win in the series came in the final match of the 2002 season in Columbia. The Tigers have not won in Lawrence since 1996.

Missouri on the internet: www.mutigers.com

Last Time Out

Freshman defender Katie Williams scored her first career goal, while senior goalkeeper Colleen Quinn recorded her fourth shutout of the season, 1-0 over IowaState, Sunday at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

Late in the opening half, Williams finished a Jessica Bush corner kick with her head from three yards out to provide the team all the offense it would need. From the far corner, Bush clipped the ball towards the near post where freshman Kaitlyn Cunninghamdeflected it to the front of the box, connecting with Williams. It was Williams’ first goal of the season as well as Cunningham’s first assist. Bush was credited with her team-leading sixth assist.

That was all the support Quinn needed to seal the victory. The 5-foot-6 keeper made four saves – all in the second half – to record her third shutout in the last two weekends. Since surrendering two second half goals to Oklahoma on Oct. 14, she has allowed just one goal in her last 380 minutes in net.

The Mighty Quinn

For the second week in a row, senior goalkeeper Colleen Quinn was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. The 5-foot-6 keeper earned a pair of victories in net and shut out IowaState, 1-0, Sunday. Quinn also stopped 10 of 11 shots in Friday’s 3-1 triumph over Nebraska. Over her last four matches, the senior keeper has allowed just one goal while shutting out three conference opponents (Colorado, Texas and IowaState).

This marks the second season in a row that a Kansas goalkeeper has earned back-to-back defensive player of the week honors. Last season, Julie Hanley garnered the award on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.

Senior Deja Vu

Friday’s matchup with Border Showdown rival Missouri will mark the third time that the Jayhawks have hosted the Tigers in the final match of the regular season. In 2001, Kansas celebrated Senior Day with a 2-0 triumph over MU. The Jayhawks may have honored their seniors, but a pair of freshmen stole the show. Midfielder Monica Brothers scored the game-winning goal in the 21st minute, while Miller made six saves to earn the shutout.

Three years later, the Jayhawks delivered another thrilling victory over Missouri on Senior Day. This time, Holly Gault’s goal in the second overtime lifted KU to a 3-2 triumph. Senior Caroline Smith recorded her final goal at home in the first half, while Michelle Rasmussen’s fourth tally of the season sent the contest to overtime. KU is 6-6 all-time on Senior Day.

Rogers, Over and Out

Junior Sara Rogers recorded the first multi-goal game of her career on Friday, tallying a pair of goals against Nebraska. Rogers entered Friday’s match as a sub in the 18th minute and gave KU a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute on a long pass from Monica Dolinsky. Midway through the second half, Rogers scored her second goal to give the Jayhawks a 3-0 lead.

The junior forward has scored four goals in her collegiate career with all of them coming at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

Start Me Up

Senior defender Afton Sauer will make her 82nd consecutive start in a Jayhawk uniform, second most in school history, in Friday’s match against Missouri. She will also tie former teammate Holly Gault’s record of most matches started by a field player. Sauer has started every Jayhawk match over the last four years and spent very little time on the bench.

She has led KU in minutes played in each of the last two seasons (1861 in 2005 and 1742 last year). Her 7,315 minutes played at KU rank second to only Meghan Miller (7,836). Over the last four seasons, Sauer has anchored a defensive unit which has allowed 1.02 goals per game and posted 32 shutouts.

Quick Kicks

– Kansas closed out the month of October with a 5-1-2 record after a 1-7-2 mark in September.

– KU scored 15 goals in the month and allowed just eight in eight matches during the month.

– The Jayhawks will meet Border Showdown rival Missouri in Lawrence for the first time since Senior Day in 2005. KU leads the all-time series 7-6, including a 3-1 mark in games played at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

– Kansas head coach Mark Francis is 6-4 against the Tigers as KU’s head coach, including five straight victories dating back to 2002.

– Senior Nicole Cauzillo matched a career high with three points in in Friday’s victory over Nebraska. Cauzillo has tallied three points (one goal, one assist) five times in her career, including three times this season.

– Senior Colleen Quinn made 10 saves in Friday’s win over Nebraska. It was the most saves by a KU goalkeeper in a Big 12 match since Meghan Miller made 10 saves against Texas in the double-overtime thriller in the second round of the conference tournament in 2004.

– Freshman Katie Williamsscored her first collegiate goal in Sunday’s match against IowaState. Williams became the 10th different Jayhawk to record a goal this season, and 12th to collect a point.

– Junior Jessica Bush tallied her team-leading sixth assist of the season in Sunday’s triumph over IowaState. Her six assists are tied for fifth in the Big 12 and also match a career best for Bush.

– Freshman Kaitlyn Cunningham collected her first collegiate assist in Sunday’s win over IowaState. Cunningham, who earned Newcomer of the Week honors on Oct. 9, has one goal and one assist this season.

– The Jayhawks tied a season high with 10 corner kicks in Friday’s match against Nebraska.

Looking Ahead

Kansas will participate in the Big 12 Soccer Championship for the eighth straight year, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 7 in San Antonio, Texas. The Jayhawks, which could be seeded anywhere from second to eighth, will not know what time their first round match is or who their opponent will be until after Friday’s matches are complete. If the team advances to the second round, it would play at either 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, while the championship round will be played on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.