DePaul stuns No. 11 Kansas, 1-0

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A 20-5 shot advantage for No. 11 Kansas was not enough as the DePaul Blue Demons upset the Jayhawks, 1-0, Friday afternoon in the Boilermaker Challenge Cup at Folk Field.

The loss marked the Jayhawks’ first of the season, now at 4-1-0. The Blue Demons moved to 2-4-0 in their 2019 campaign.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Kansas, who produced scoring chances with regularity but could not find the back of the net. After outshooting DePaul 7-2 over the opening 45 minutes, a mistake in the early moments of the saw the Blue Demons get on the board first. Just 30 seconds after the second-half restart, a pass between Jayhawk defenders was cut off by DePaul’s Jade Eriksen-Russo. The junior beat the last remaining KU defender and sent in her first of the year past Jayhawk goalkeeper Sarah Peters. It was only the second goal Kansas has allowed this season.

Despite the deficit, KU continued to attack on the DePaul side of the field. The Jayhawks tallied 13 shots to the Blue Demons’ three over the final period of action, which included KU putting a pair of strikes on frame. In the final 15 minutes of action, with Kansas pushing numbers forward, the Jayhawks tested the defense with seven shots and five corner kicks, but none produced a KU goal. Jayhawk senior Sophie Maierhofer saw an opening with just over 30 seconds left in regulation, but her try from 15 yards out sailed just high of the crossbar and marked KU’s final chance of the match.

UP NEXT
Game two of the Boilermaker Challenge Cup will pit the Jayhawks against host Purdue. Kickoff against the Boilermakers is set for 1 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, Sept. 8. The match can be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.