️⚽️ Kansas to Open Spring Exhibition Season Friday

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas soccer will return to the pitch and open its 2020 spring exhibition season Friday, Feb. 28 when the Jayhawks take on the Omaha Mavericks at Rock Chalk Park. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., with admission free to the public.

Friday’s match will be the first of five exhibitions Kansas will take part in during its spring campaign, all at Rock Chalk Park. The Jayhawks will also welcome Nebraska (April 19) and Air Force (April 25) to Lawrence later this spring.

“We’re really focusing on a lot of small details that we need to be more consistent in,” said head coach Mark Francis on the areas of emphasis he has for his squad as it heads into spring play. “We’ve been focusing a lot on defending, readdressing some defensive principles, so it will be good to see where we’re at with this first game coming up on Friday.”

The Mavericks are coming off a 5-11-2 record in their 2019 season and a seventh-place finish in the Summit League, where they posted a 2-5-1 mark.

“The environment in training (this spring) has been really competitive so far,” Francis continued. “Coming off a successful season, we have to keep demanding high expectations and that’s something we’ve talked to the players about these first few weeks. We’ve set a standard, now it’s time to keep pushing that forward and that’s what I’m hoping to see this spring.”

KU is looking to fill the shoes left empty by six departing seniors, three of whom were starters on the squad that finished the 2019 campaign with a 17-5-3 record, claimed the program’s first Big 12 Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 16.