MATCH PREVIEW: vs. BYU

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 14 Kansas Jayhawks (7-1-0) will host the first-ever top-15 soccer match-up in Lawrence Thursday night when they welcome the No. 7 BYU Cougars to Rock Chalk Park. The contest is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

MATCH INFORMATION

Date/Time: Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.
Opponent #7 BYU
Location Rock Chalk Park
Watch Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Listen Jayhawk Radio Network

Madison Meador

QUICK KICKS

  • Kansas is coming off a four-game road stint that saw the Jayhawks go 3-1-0. KU closed the trip with a 2-0 win at Western Michigan on Sept. 15.
  • Thursday’s match will mark the 500th game in program history. Kansas is 250-212-37 all-time, good for a 53.8 winning percentage.
  • Kansas jumped four spots in the latest United Soccer Coaches’ poll. At No. 14, the Jayhawks were slotted in the top-20 for the fourth-straight week and inside the top-15 for the second time this season.
  • The Jayhawks will kick off a four-game homestand when they meet BYU Thursday. Kansas is 34-14-2 in regular-season home games since 2014, which includes a 12-2-0 mark since the start of 2018.
  • KU is 6-17-1 against teams ranked in the top-10 since 2004, with the most recent victory coming in 2017 with a 2-1 victory over then-No. 9 Texas.
    The Jayhawks last played a top-10 squad while it was also ranked in the top-15 of the national polls in 2004. The No. 6 Jayhawks claimed a 1-0 win over then-No. 9 Texas A&M in College Station.
  • The 2019 Jayhawks are the third Kansas squad to earn at least seven victories through the opening eight games of the season. KU is one of 17 teams this year to have tallied seven or more wins thus far.
  • Eight different Jayhawks have scored a goal this season. Senior Katie McClure leads the team with seven goals, which ranks her 14th in the NCAA.
  • KU’s defense has conceded just three goals through its first eight matches and became just the second Jayhawk team to allow three or fewer goals through its first eight games of a season. The 2004 team, let only two goals in through its first eight contests.
  • Senior Addisyn Merrick was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week by the league office Tuesday. She played all 180 minutes in back-to-back Jayhawk shutouts last weekend, in which the KU backline allowed a combined eight shots in those two outings.

Sarah Peters
STORYLINES

  • TOP-10 TIDBITS
    • BYU will be the sixth team ranked in the top-10 to play the Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Park since the stadium opened in 2014. The Jayhawks are 2-3-0 in those previous five contests.
    • Kansas last played a top-10 squad when it was also ranked in the top-15 of the national polls in 2004, when the No. 6 Jayhawks claimed a 1-0 win over then-No. 9 Texas A&M in College Station.
    • Kansas is 6-17-1 against top-10 teams since 2004 with the most recent victory coming in 2017 with a 2-1 victory over then-No. 9 Texas. The Jayhawks also claimed a win over then-No. 7 Southern California in Lawrence earlier that season.
    • The 2017 match with No. 7 USC marked the highest-ranked nonconference opponent to play the Jayhawks in Lawrence. Thurday’s match with BYU will match this mark.
  • LET’S GET DEFENSIVE
    In their first eight matches of 2019, the Jayhawks have once again proved to be a stout defensive team, carrying over the trend from their last several seasons. Kansas currently boasts a goals-against average of 0.38 this season, which encompasses five shutouts in those first eight outings. The Jayhawks are allowing less than three opponent shots on goal per match.KU has already put together several impressive shutout streak to start this season. Kansas went 189-straight minutes without conceding a goal to start the year, and is currently in the midst of a 249-minute opponent scoreless stretch. KU has tallied four opponent scoreless streaks of 300 minutes or more in the last five seasons.
  • HOME SWEET HOME
    Rock Chalk Park has been a welcome site for the Jayhawks in recent years as KU is enjoying a successful four-year stint playing on its home turf. After their win over FAU on Sept. 1, the Jayhawks are 34-14-2 in matches played at home during the regular season since the start of the 2014 campaign. From 2013-14, Kansas also enjoyed an 11-match home winning streak, the longest in program history.Since moving into Rock Chalk Park, Kansas has built a goal differential of +37 and boasts a goals-against average of 0.88, a number that includes 19 shutouts.