Friday, November 14, 2008
Not one of Kansas’ players knows what it’s like to play in the NCAA Soccer Tournament. Zero.
It’s the unfortunate result of three consecutive below average seasons. But for the first time since 2004 the dry spell is over, and coach Mark Francis’ team has a priceless opportunity to make a statement on an unfamiliar stage.
NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament
Kansas vs. Denver (first round)
5:30 p.m.
Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
Palo Alto, Calif.
Sure, the Jayhawks are happy to be in the tournament. But make no mistake, Kansas won’t be satisfied with an early exit or a subpar showing.
“One of our team’s goal at the beginning of the season was to make the NCAA Tournament, and we did that,” junior midfielder Monica Dolinsky said. “But for a lot of us, that’s not good enough.”
This afternoon Kansas (12-7-2) and Sun Belt Conference champions Denver (19-2-2) will meet in the tournament’s first round for the right to play either UC Santa Barbara or No. 1 seed Stanford in the second round on Sunday.
Junior goalkeeper Julie Hanley hadn’t seen any film on the Pioneers as of Wednesday, but said the team was itching to get on the field and get its first taste of the NCAA Tournament, as well as the balmy California weather.
“I just think we need to go in confident,” Hanley said. “We have everything to play for still. It’s just going to be a really fun opportunity because nobody has been here before.”
Hanley and the rest of the Jayhawks may not have seen much of Denver, but Francis said he had an opportunity to watch a few of its games from this season, including a 1-0 victory over No. 15 Colorado in Boulder this August. The Pioneers lost only one conference game this season and have made three straight NCAA Tournaments under coach Jeff Hooker’s guidance.
“I thought Colorado was one of the best two teams we played this year,” Francis said. “That’s not easy to do, especially at their place. It’s a tough matchup, but I know the kids are excited.”
Denver received 15 votes in the season’s final NSCAA rankings, falling just outside the top 25, while Kansas received zero. Francis said the Pioneer’s most potent threat offensively would be senior midfielder Taryn Hemmings, the two-time Sun Belt player of the year.
He said the backline would have to stay organized and communicated well to slow the explosive Hemmings, who has accumulated 16 goals and dished out six assists a year after missing the entire season because of injury.
“She is very good, and I think she is the type of kid that can do it on her own,” Francis said. “She gets a ball and she didn’t necessarily need anyone else. She is fast. She is good one vs. one. I think we just have to be sure to stand her up and not let her turn and run at us. That’s when she is the most dangerous.”
Fans can expect close to perfect weather this afternoon. Forecasts call for temperatures in the mid 70s. Kansas Athletics will have online updates for those who want to follow the action.
— — Edited by Brieun Scott
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