Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The KU women’s soccer team will start its fall season on Aug. 30 with an opening game in Hawaii.
The team added 10 new players this year. All of them have been up to par with the veteran players, and even challenging them for their starting spots.
On Monday coach Mark Francis and some players fielded questions about the upcoming season as part of Fall Media Day. One of the hottest subjects was the competition for starting roles.
“I don’t think anybody thinks that their starting spot is secure, and I think across the board everybody is concerned that they’re going to have to bring it every day in practice,” Francis said. “There are five or six positions where the returning players are going to be challenged by the new kids. That’s great for us as a program, but it’s a pain in the neck for a coach.”
The players at Fall Media Day felt the same as their coach about the competition created by the performance of the new team members.
“There are four or five girls who could potentially play at a few positions,” junior goalkeeper Julie Hanley said. “Right now we’re trying to work everyone into the mix to see what works well for us.”
Sophomore midfielder Shannon McCabe seemed to understand what the new players were going through firsthand, and had plenty of advice for them.
“They just have to know that they are an integral part of the team and that we need them to have a winning season,” she said.
McCabe said there was no excuse for the team not to win the Big 12 conference this year, or at least be a major contender. She said the team could compete with its top-level competition and be on the same level as the top 10 teams in the country.
While the team continues to work on valuable skills needed for soccer like speed and determination, there is one the players feel they have down.
“Team chemistry is one thing we have always taken great pride in at KU and I think this team has that this year, which will be a huge part of our success,” junior midfielder Jessica Bush said.
Francis said that there would be very little breathing room in the team’s schedule. He said that the team would have to show up to every game and perform at a high level.
The players and their coach are on the same page and completely focused on succeeding in the coming months, leading to the ultimate goal of a tournament victory.
This season is the last for a group of seniors who won the Big 12 regular season title in their freshman year. Francis said the seniors have a lot of motivation to win in their final season.
“This year every game is a big game,” Bush said. “Every game puts us that much closer to the NCAA Tournament.”
–Edited by Luke Morris
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