Soccer falls to No. 11 Kansas, 1-0

Friday, October 10

Austin, Texas

7 p.m.

University of Texas

7-5-2, 2-2-0Big 12

Kansas

14-1-0, 4-0-0Big 12

Team	1	2	Final F
Kansas	0	1	1
TEXAS	0	0	0

10.10.2014 | Soccer

Box Score

Texas out-shoots the Jayhawks in suffering the squad’s second Big 12 loss of 2014

AUSTIN, Texas – A 63rd-minute strike from Kansas forward Ashley Williams proved the difference on Friday night at Mike A. Myers Stadium as the No. 11 Jayhawks (14-1-0, 4-0-0 Big 12) remained unbeaten in Big 12 Conference action with a 1-0 victory over Texas (7-5-2, 2-2-0 Big 12).

The Longhorns out-shot the Jayhawks by a 17-15 total and 7-4 in shots on goal, while also managing a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Abby Smith registered three saves for UT, while senior midfielder Sharis Lachappelle led the squad with five total shots, two on frame.

The feeling out process began immediately from the opening kick as both teams spent the better part of the opening five minutes battling for possession in the midfield.

UT head coach Angela Kelly went with a trio of attackers in senior Cierra Grubbs, junior Chantale Campbell and freshman Olivia Brook, trying to set an early rhythm and dictate the tempo of the match. The strategy began paying early dividends as Texas began to break the deadlock in the midfield and take more control of the game. Sophomores Isabelle Kerr and Julia Dyche managed the first two shots of the match for the home team with wide attempts at 5:16 and 7:25, respectively.

In the 11th-minute, Campbell pivoted quickly and fired a shot from 20 yards out on the left wing that forced Kansas netminder Kaitlyn Stroud to make her initial save.

Kansas came right back with shots from midfielders Liana Salazar (off a free kick) and Jamie Fletcher. The latter, at the 16:46 mark, proved especially dangerous as her effort from the left side traveled just wide of the right post.

Smith attempted to get the Horns on the board via one of her patented long free kicks at 18:12, but the Texas keeper's blast was punched clear by a confident Stroud.

The Jayhawks' best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes came during the 20th-minute. Off a corner, the ball dropped perfectly for Fletcher right out in front of the goal. Her header was solid, but traveled right into the waiting arms of Smith for a save.

The Burnt Orange & White had a golden chance of their own in the 36th-minute, as Stroud made a mistake on a goal kick, sending the ball directly to Campbell's feet about 38 yards out in the middle of the pitch. The Texas forward appeared a bit surprised and tried to react promptly, but immediate pressure from a Kansas defender made her rush a shot that ventured wide of net.

Texas' best opportunity of the first half came off of a long free kick taken from deep on the right wing. Dyche lofted a ball into the middle of the 18 that was punched out by Stroud. After bouncing around among several players, it finally found its way to Longhorn freshman Morgan Murphy. The Plano, Texas, native hit the ball in stride, forcing the Jayhawk keeper to leap high to make a save.

When the whistle blew to begin the second half, the tables appeared to turn as Kansas popped right out of the gate with a sense of urgency to their play.

Despite that, it was the Horns who had the best early chances of the second stanza. A cross by Brook from the right wing found Lachappelle making a run up the middle, however, the San Antonio, Texas, native's header at 51:43 traveled wide left of frame. During the 56th-minute, it was again Lachappelle troubling KU as her free kick from 28 yards out in the middle forced yet another Stroud stop.

Kansas came extremely close to breaking the scoreless dead-lock at 58:16 as a pass by Salazar from the right wing to the left post found Williams, but her sliding effort with her left foot drifted just wide of the post.

Just 4:33 later, the Longhorns weren't as fortunate as Salazar again found Williams, this time just outside the right top of the box. Williams was in some space, turned and decisively struck the ball into the upper left corner to put the Jayhawks on top 1-0.

Searching for an equalizer, the Longhorns began upping their offensive pressure. Back-to-back shots by Grubbs and Dyche in the 73rd-minute were blocked, and senior defender Whitney Jaynes came close at 82:46 as her lengthy effort from well out on the left wing traveled just high of the right corner.

With time running short, Texas junior midfielder Lindsey Meyer had one final chance to draw her team even, but her shot from outside the top of the 18 ventured right to Stroud as Kansas wrapped up the one-goal victory.

Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Angela Kelly

On tonight's match: "We weren't good enough in the attacking half. We just simply didn't execute. We created plenty of opportunity, and it just came down to execution. We outshot them. We had almost half of our shots on the face. We're creating enough opportunity. We just needed to put one away. As we put more numbers forward, we created more opportunity.

"It's our game. It's a vicious game. I don't know if Kansas really had that many true scoring opportunities. I thought our backs did very well, and I thought we organized well. We just simply weren't good enough in the attacking third."

Senior M Sharis Lachappelle

On team's performance: "We were disappointed with how we played. We had a few opportunities, we just couldn't find the back of the net. They took advantage of their opportunity, so credit to them on that. We just have to be more disciplined behind the ball, connecting passes and finishing opportunities. Overall, we're disappointed, and we're looking forward to moving past this."

On differences between this match and vs. Iowa State: "I just think tonight we came in here and didn't respect our opponent as much as we should have. This isn't going to be something that defeats us. We are going to regroup on Saturday and Sunday. We are fortunate not to have a game on Sunday. We can look forward to our next match against TCU on Friday. We are just looking to put this past us and regroup."