No. 12 Kansas Strikes Late to Defeat Kent State 3-1

Sunday, August 23

Kent, Ohio

12 p.m. CT

University of Kansas

3-1-0, 0-0-0

Kent State

1-2-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Kansas	0	3	3
Kent St.	0	1	1

No. 12 Kansas Strikes Late to Defeat Kent State 3-1

8/23/2026 3:02:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats Nate Lie Postgame Interview

KENT, Ohio – No. 12 Kansas scored a flurry of goals late in the 3-1 win over Kent State on Sunday afternoon at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio. Jillian Gregorski scored two goals for the Jayhawks, with Caroline Castans adding another goal.

"We challenged the team after a tough match and tough result on Thursday, to bounce back and find a way to have the right level of urgency and sharpness on a day that it's not gonna come naturally, on the road, against a very good opponent," Kansas head coach Nate Lie said. "Kent State gave us all we can handle today. We really needed to organize and stay really compact. They didn't let us get to the spaces that we usually want to get to. So we had to be patient."

Lie continued, "Jill did what she does, and that's finding a way to get on the balls in the box, and she had a very nice header. That second goal was just two quality players, Carol and Jill, delivering a pass that not everyone could deliver, and a goal that not everyone could finish. And then it was awesome to see Carol get that game winner on another great pass by Livvy. So we as a team chipped away, started making more winning plays, and then our personality players came through."

The defenses for both teams stifled any scoring opportunities for much of the first half, with the match's first shot not coming until the 24th minute. Kansas' Livvy Moore brought the ball out wide on the right side of the field, where she crossed it to the far side of the 18-yard box to Caroline Castans, who took a shot towards goal that was tipped by the Kent State keeper for a save.

KU was able to generate another chance in the 33rd minute, as Moore shot a header off a free kick, but was blocked by a Kent State defender to prevent the goal.

The Jayhawks took six shots while not allowing a shot in the first half.

In the second half, the Jayhawk defense kept most of the possession, not allowing a shot until the 87th minute. Kansas was able to register 11 shots in the second half, with the best chance coming in the 71st minute, as Moore took a corner kick and passed the ball short to Castans, who took a strike towards goal from outside the box, but the Kent State keeper was able to get a hand on it, deflecting it over the goal.

In the closing minutes of the match, Kansas was finally able to break the tie and score a flurry of goals, scoring three in the span of five minutes. In the 75th minute, KU drew a corner where Moore crossed the ball right in front of the goal to Gregorski, who headed the ball into the net to score her first goal. Two minutes later, Castans took an errant pass and dribbled up the field, to where she passed the ball to Gregorski, who took a deep shot outside of the box into the top left corner of the goal to score her second goal of the match, giving KU a 2-0 lead.

The Jayhawks were able to score another goal in the 80th minute of the match to grow the lead to 3-0 with 10 minutes to play. Moore took the ball on the far right side of the field where she passed the ball into the middle of the field to Castans, who took a header towards goal. A Kent State defender was able to kick the ball out of the goal, but a review determined the ball crossed the line, giving Castans the goal.

Kent State responded with a goal of their own, as Samantha Miller was able to score to cut into the lead at 3-1. Kansas was able to play out the rest of the clock, leading to a 3-1 win.

Kansas outshot Kent State 17-2, including 9-2 in shots on goal. KU also took 14 corners in the match.

NOTES

Kansas improved to 3-1-0 on the season.
Kansas improved to 12-2-5 in non-conference matches under Lie.
Kansas improved to 32-13-7 in three seasons under Lie.
Kansas improved to 21-7-2 in games played away from Lawrence under Lie.
Kansas held a 17-2 shot advantage over Kent State.
Kansas took 14 corners in the match.
Gregorski scored two goals in the match, recording her first brace of the season, and the third of her career. She has scored three goals this season, which ties for the team lead. She totaled four points in the match.
Castans scored her third goal of the season, which ties for the team lead. She also recorded her first assist of the season.
Moore tallied her second and third assists of the season.

UP NEXT
Kansas closes out its four-match road swing on Thursday, August 27 at Utah Valley. The match is slated to begin at 8 p.m. CT in Orem, Utah.