⚽ MATCH PREVIEW: vs. Texas Tech

MATCH 2 – vs. TEXAS TECH

Date: Friday, Sept. 25
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
Stadium: Rock Chalk Park
Kickoff: 7 p.m. (CT)
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

LAWRENCE, Kan. – After a two-week hiatus, No. 9 Kansas (1-0-0) opens the home portion of its season against Texas Tech (0-0-1), Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. (CT) at Rock Chalk Park. The contest will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Josh Klingler and Huw Williams calling the action. Originally, KU was supposed host Oklahoma on Sept. 18 but due to COVID on the OU squad, the game was postponed until Nov. 15. Due to COVID, there will be no fans allowed for the Texas Tech at Kansas contest.

Kansas opened the 2020-21 season with a 1-0 win at Texas on Sept. 11. Senior midfielder Ceri Holland scored the lone goal of the contest in the 81st minute. Junior goalkeeper Sarah Peters recorded her 21st career shutout and 30th all-time win of her KU career. For her efforts Holland earned TopDrawerSoccer’s National Offensive Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. Peters was the Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week. She and freshman defender Kate Dreyer were named honorable mention on the TDS’s Team of the Week named Sept. 15.

The Jayhawks return 18 letterwinners and seven starters from the 2019 squad which went 17-5-3, claimed the Big 12 Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16. Head coach Mark Francis is in his 22nd season at the helm in Lawrence and holds a 237-168-37 record with KU and is second among active Big 12 coaches with 270 career coaching victories.

Texas Tech is 0-0-1 on the season after tying Baylor, 0-0 (2OT), on Sept. 18, in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech had its first game of the season against Kansas State, on Sept. 11, postponed due to COVID. The Red Raiders return 21 letterwinners from the 2019 team which finished 15-4-3 overall, second in the Big 12 with a 6-1-1 league record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Texas Tech ended 2019 ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. TTU is led by senior All-American forward Kirsten Davis who had six game-winning goals in 2019. In goal, TTU brings back Madison White, who appeared in 14 matches last season, tallied six shutouts and collected 57 saves. Texas Tech is head coach Tom Stone is in his 14th season at the helm in Lubbock with a record of 155-83-33 as the TTU head coach.

 

QUICK KICKS

  • The Jayhawks return to Rock Chalk Park after posting an 8-2-1 record at its home venue last season. Kansas is 17-4-1 at Rock Chalk Park over the last two seasons and 34-17-3 since the venue opened in 2014.
  • KU is 14-6-1 in home openers in the 21 seasons under head coach Mark Francis. The Jayhawks have won each of their last two openers at Rock Chalk Park.
  • Kansas has won or tied its last 10 matches against Big 12 opponents dating back to Oct. 10, 2019. The Jayhawks are 7-0-3 and have outscored their opponents 15-to-5 during that span, which included the 2019 Big 12 Championship title. The stretch is the longest in program history.
  • After its win over Texas on Sept. 11, Kansas now has a victory or tie over every Big 12 squad in the last calendar year. Texas Tech is the only league foe that KU hasn’t defeated in that span after the two sides played to a 0-0 draw last season in Lubbock.
  • Kansas leads the all-time series with the Red Raiders 13-11-3 but is 1-7-2 against TTU over the last 10 meetings. Each of the last three KU-TTU contests have been decided in extra time, including last season’s 0-0 draw in Lubbock.
  • Senior midfielder Ceri Holland was the National Player of the Week as named by TopDrawerSoccer on Sept. 15. Holland netted the game-winner in KU’s 1-0 win over Texas on Sept. 11. She was joined by Sarah Peters and Kate Dreyer, who were given honorable mention honors on TDS’s Team of the Week.
  • Both Holland and Peters were also honored on the Big 12’s first weekly awards last week. Holland was picked as the league’s Offensive Player of the Week, while Peters was named the conference Goalkeeper of the Week after her shutout performance against the Longhorns.

UP NEXT

The Jayhawks will hit the road for the second time this season when they travel to Kansas State for the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Friday, Oct. 2. KU and K-State will kick off from Manhattan, Kan., at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.