Strawser nets first career goal to lift Soccer over Kansas, 1-0

Sunday, October 6

Lawrence, Kan.

1 p.m.

University of Texas

9-4-1 (3-1-0Big 12)

Kansas

5-6-2 (0-1-1Big 12)

Team	1	2	Final F
Texas	0	1	1
Kansas	0	0	0

Strawser nets first career goal to lift Soccer over Kansas, 1-0

10.06.2013 | Soccer

Box Score

Sophomore Aaron Strawser scores in the 86th minute; Abby Smith records sixth shutout of the season in goal.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore Aaron Strawser found the back of the Kansas goal in the 86th minute to power Texas Soccer to a 1-0 victory on Sunday at Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

Strawser dribbled the ball into space on the right side in Texas' attacking third and sent a shot toward the goal that sailed over the hands of KU keeper Kaitlyn Stroud and into the back-left corner of the net. After a hard-fought, physical first 85 minutes of play, that would be all Texas would need to improve to 9-4-1 on the season and 3-1-0 in Big 12 play.

It was a scoreless first half despite six shots for the Longhorns in the opening period. Marchelle Davis got off the first shot of the game for either team, a laser from left of the box in the seventh minute that sailed wide right. Gabby Zarnegar led the Longhorns with three first-half shots, all of them on goal, and was part of UT's best scoring chance in the opening period that came in the 39th minute. Texas strung together several passes around the 18-yard box when Katie Gernsbacher sent a cross from the right side toward the far post. Zarnegar got her foot on it near the mouth of the goal but Stroud dove on the ball to keep the game scoreless.

Kansas nearly got on the board early in the second half when a ball got past Abby Smith pursuing it out into the box, but Julie Arnold laid out to poke the ball over the end line to the right of the goal. The Longhorns' back line was stout through the remainder of the match, consistently clearing the ball out of the box on the Kansas attack to help Smith to her sixth shutout of the season.

Texas outshot Kansas 15-12 with an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Longhorns, one of the nation's best in creating corner-kick opportunities, had seven in today's game to KU's five.

Smith finished with three saves in goal, defending several key set plays off Kansas corner kicks in the second half to ensure the shutout.

The Longhorns return to action on Friday when they take on the Baylor Bears in their penultimate home match of the 2013 season at Mike A. Myers Stadium. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.

POSTGAME NOTES

Texas improves to 14-3-2 all-time against Kansas, including carrying a 6-3-1 record when playing in Lawrence … UT has one eight of its last 10 matches and is now 7-0-1 this season when scoring first … the Longhorns have scored first in each of their three wins in Big 12 play this season … Strawser's goal-scoring shot was her third shot attempt of the season and fourth of her career … her first career goal follows her first career assist, which she tallied Sept. 29 of this season against Iowa State.