⚽ Kansas Soccer Finalizes 2020 Schedule
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas soccer team will face an abbreviated but challenging slate this fall after the Big 12 finalized the 2020 schedule Tuesday. The Jayhawks will play nine matches, one against each conference foe, over a nine-week campaign.
"We are excited to still be able to have the opportunity to compete this fall amidst all the uncertainty. To be able to put our student-athletes in an environment as competitive as the Big 12 is a massive bonus and I look forward to testing our players in nine very tough games over the next few months."
Head Coach Mark Francis
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 11 | at Texas | Austin, Texas |
| Sept. 18 | Oklahoma | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Sept. 25 | Texas Tech | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Oct. 2 | at K-State | Manhattan, Kan. |
| Oct. 9 | at Baylor | Waco, Texas |
| Oct. 16 | Oklahoma State | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Oct. 23 | TCU | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Oct. 30 | at West Virginia | Morgantown, W.Va. |
| Nov. 6 | Iowa State | Lawrence, Kan. |
KU will begin the 2020 season on Friday, Sept. 11 in Austin, Texas when the team meets the Texas Longhorns. UT came out on top in a 1-0 result in last season’s contest in Lawrence, however, the Jayhawks have come away with a win in two of their last three trips to Mike A. Myers Stadium.
One week later Kansas will see its home opener at Rock Chalk Park, where it has amassed a record of 17-4-1 over the last two seasons. The Jayhawks will face Oklahoma in Lawrence on Sept. 18 and will look to extend their current five-match unbeaten streak against the Sooners. Last season, KU claimed a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over OU in Norman via Mandi Duggan’s golden goal in the eighth minute of overtime.
Week three will feature Texas Tech heading into Rock Chalk Park on Sept. 25. Matches between the Jayhawks and Red Raiders over the last several seasons have been hotly contested, with each of the last three games ending in overtime and all of the last eight matches having been decided by a goal or less.
The fourth soccer edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown will take place on Oct. 2 when KU takes the short trip to Manhattan, Kansas to meet the K-State Wildcats. The Jayhawks have won the last two meetings against their in-state rival, including a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats in Lawrence a season ago.
The midway point of the 2020 campaign will feature Baylor hosting the Jayhawks in Waco on Oct. 9. KU claimed a 4-1 victory over the Bears last season and has come home with a win in two of its last three trips to Betty Lou Mays Soccer Complex. Kansas is 6-2-0 against Baylor since 2013.
A two-match homestand will begin the following week against the defending Big 12 regular-season champion Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Oct. 16. Last season, OSU handed KU a 5-2 defeat in Stillwater before the Jayhawks claimed revenge a month later via a 2-1 overtime win in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. That victory in Kansas City broke a five-match winless streak against the Cowgirls.
A rematch of the 2019 Big 12 Championship final will take place at Rock Chalk Park when the Jayhawks host TCU on Oct. 23. Expect a close contest as 10 of the 11 all-time meetings between these two squads have been decided by a goal or less, including last year’s conference tournament title match, which KU came out on top via a 1-0 victory.
The final road match of 2020 will see Kansas journey to Morgantown to meet West Virginia on Oct. 30. WVU leads the all-time series against the Jayhawks 7-2-1, however, KU has notched two wins and a draw in the three most recent contests with the Mountaineers. This includes a 2-0 victory in the quarterfinals of last year’s Big 12 Championship.
The season finale is set for Nov. 6 when the Jayhawks play host to Iowa State at Rock Chalk Park. KU will enter the game in the midst of a six-match winning streak against the Cyclones dating back to 2014. The Jayhawks have also won nine-straight games against ISU in Lawrence.
Kansas will return seven starters and 18 letterwinners from last season’s team that claimed a 17-5-3 record, a Big 12 Tournament Championship and advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Senior midfielder Ceri Holland, a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, is KU’s top returning goal scorer and will be joined by 10 teammates how appeared in 20 or more matches a year ago.
