Early Goals Doom Jayhawks, Mountaineers Prevail 2-0

Box Score

Morgantown, W.Va. – Kansas soccer could not rebound from two early West Virginia goals as the No. 6-ranked Mountaineers defeated the Jayhawks 2-0 Friday night inside Dick Dlesk Stadium. Kansas was held scoreless for its fourth-consecutive match.
 
The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 5-8-2 on the year with a record of 0-3-1 in the Big 12 play. West Virginia’s win elevated it to 9-2-2 this season with a perfect 6-0-0 record in league play.
 
“I really feel like we outplayed them in large chunks of the game tonight,” said head coach Mark Francis. “To go down two goals that early and keep fighting really shows a lot about the team’s character. We just came out a little intimidated early and it ended up costing us. I’m not disappointed with how we played tonight because we really fought and competed hard.”
 
The Mountaineers wasted little time in getting on the board Friday, taking early advantage in the 10^th minute of action. Sophomore forward Kelsie Maloney beat a KU defender inside the Jayhawks’ 18-yard box and put a right-footed strike past goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud. The goal was the fourth KU has given up this season ten minutes or less into a match.
 
Only four minutes later West Virginia picked up its second goal of the night, this time off the foot of senior Frances Silva. The Overland Park, Kan., native managed to dribble past a KU defender and put in a shot from the top of the penalty box. The strike toward the upper level of the goal went just out of the reach of Stroud and dug the Jayhawks into a deep 2-0 hole less than 15 minutes into the match.
 
KU nearly struck a few times in the opening period, both instances from junior Jamie Fletcher. The first came in the 38^th minute with a long ball put in from the center of the field, around 25 yards out. The ball was headed for the inside of the top left corner but the Mountaineer keeper Sara Keene was there for her first save of the match.
 
In the waning minutes of the half Fletcher again punted another shot toward the WVU frame from over 30 yards out. The well struck ball soared out of reach of Keene but slammed off the crossbar as KU again saw a near goal miss by inches.
 
KU’s offensive struggles continued in the second half but the Jayhawks managed the West Virginia attacks with greater ease. After tallying 11 shots over the first 45 minutes, the Mountaineers were only able to notch four in the second half. Kansas matched its first half total, putting three shots on the stat sheet in the final period.
 
Kansas’ two best opportunities in the second frame came from senior Caroline Kastor and Fletcher. Kastor’s shot came in the 58^th minute, a strike from 20 yards out the sailed high of the Mountaineer crossbar. Twenty minutes later, Fletcher sent in her fourth shot of the match from the left side of the attacking third. The junior’s attempt was headed for the far post but curled wide and into the waiting hands of Keene.
 
The full time whistle sounded just over 12 minutes later with no major attacks from either squad, handing the Jayhawks its eighth loss and fourth-straight game without a goal.
 
KU’s six shots were its lowest of the season and its two shots on goal the Jayhawks’ second fewest this year. Fletcher led the way with four shots, while the seniors, Kastor and Shannon Renner, each tallied a shot. Stroud collected five saves on the night, her sixth-consecutive match with five stops or more.
 
Kansas will now return to Lawrence to host the defending Big 12 Tournament Champion Baylor Bears. KU and BU are slated to kickoff at 1 p.m., in the match that will be televised on Time Warner Cable Sports and ESPN3.
 
 
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