Kansas Travels to Cincinnati for Thursday Tilt

Kansas (3-2-3, 0-1-0 Big 12) at Cincinnati (4-3-1, 0-1-0 Big 12)
When	Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. CT
Where	Cincinnati, Ohio // Gettler Stadium
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	Stats
Game Notes	Kansas \| Cincinnati
Social Media	@KUWSoccer \| @kansassoccer \| Facebook

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Kansas Jayhawks will travel for a pair of matches this week, beginning on Thursday against the Cincinnati Bearcats. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from Gettler Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

"We're into the conference portion of our schedule now for the remainder of the season," head coach Nate Lie said. "We finished the non-conference schedule the way we wanted and need to carry that into Big 12 play. Every night is a battle in this conference and that includes on Thursday night against a quality Cincinnati team."

Kansas (3-2-3, 0-1-0 Big 12) is coming off a 5-1 victory against Friends to wrap up non-conference play. The Jayhawks completed their 16th straight season (beginning in 2008) with a .500 winning percentage or better against regular-season non-conference opponents.

Freshman midfielder Jillian Gregorski was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Wednesday. Gregorski recorded her first career hat trick and the 11th in program history (ninth player) on Sunday against Friends. The hat trick was the first since 2019 and only the second ever by a freshman. Gregorski joined redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sophie Dawe, who received the award a week ago.

Junior Lexi Watts scored her first goal of the season and had her second career multi-assist game on Sunday against Friends. Watts has been one of the top threats for Kansas offensively this season as she leads the team with 32 shots.

The Jayhawks will be looking to continue their tough defense on opponents. Kansas has held its opponents to 60 fewer total shots through the first eight matches this season compared to a year ago. KU has also outshot its opponent in each of the last seven matches.

ABOUT CINCINNATI
Cincinnati (4-3-1, 0-1-0 Big 12) has had the week off after dropping its conference opener to West Virginia on Sept. 12. The Bearcats are 3-1-1 at home this season. Rylee Felton has led Cincinnati offensively with six goals and 13 points this season. Anna Rexford, who is in her fifth year, has played every minute in goal for the Bearcats.

SERIES HISTORY
Kansas leads the all-time series 1-0-1 with Cincinnati. The series dates back to 2018 when the teams played to a 0-0 draw on Sept. 6, 2018 in Cincinnati. The Jayhawks earned their win against the Bearcats on Sept. 9, 2021 in a 4-1 victory at Rock Chalk Park. This will be the first time the teams compete in a conference match.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday's match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Live statistics can be found here, while live updates will also be provided on the team's official X page @KUWSoccer.

UP NEXT
Kansas will head to Morgantown, West Virginia, to play the West Virginia Mountaineers on Sunday, Sept. 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Kansas Travels to Cincinnati for Thursday Tilt

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sophie Dawe

Jillian Gregorski

Lexi Watts

University of Kansas Athletics

Kansas Travels to Cincinnati for Thursday Tilt

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sophie Dawe

Jillian Gregorski

Lexi Watts

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