Wednesday, January 28, 2009
It may be exactly 73 days since Kansas soccer played its last game of 2008, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to drop some Kansan hardware on KU’s top performers.
After three consecutive seasons without a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Jayhawks battled their way into the field of 64 with inspired play down the stretch, including two victories against national power Texas A&M.
Kansas advanced to the second round with a 2-1 victory against Denver but couldn’t keep up with No. 1 Stanford, losing 5-0.
So without further ado, here are the Kansan’s first soccer awards.
Offensive player: Junior midfielder Monica Dolinsky
Runner up: Junior forward Shannon McCabe
Dolinsky was the unquestioned offensive fulcrum for the Jayhawks. She was tied for the team lead with nine goals and led Kansas with 10 assists, finishing fourth in the Big 12 with 28 points.
McCabe saved her best form for the end of the season, scoring nine goals and adding five assists. Her miracle goal against Texas A&M in a 1-0 victory in Lawrence helped turn Kansas’ season around.
Defensive Player: Junior
defender Estelle Johnson
Runner up: Sophomore defender Lauren Jackson
Johnson was Kansas’ most consistent performer in arguably the most important position on the field. She started all 23 games and played 200 more minutes than the next closest Jayhawk.
Jackson was a constant offensive threat on the right flank and used blazing speed to make up ground on the defensive end.
Top Freshman: Forward Emily Cressy
Runner up: Forward Kortney Clifton
Cressy never really followed up her blistering early-season form, but eight goals and three assists from a freshman are nothing to scoff at.
Clifton had a successful season as well, though she will have to find some way to cope with the physical nature of the college game as she progresses.
Lifetime Achievement: Seniors Missy Geha, Jessica Bush, Kristin Graves, Jenny Murtaugh, Sara Rogers and Stephanie Baugh
None of Kansas’ six seniors wanted to leave Lawrence without an NCAA Tournament appearance.
After waiting until selection day to learn their fate, this year’s senior class was finally rewarded for its four years of hard work with a trip to the postseason.
Where are they now?
Gary Woodland isn’t exactly a household name.
But if you are a golf fanatic then you may recognize Woodland from his time golfing for Kansas from 2003 to 2006.
Three years after graduating from the University, Woodland’s golfing career is taking off. He will be a PGA Tour rookie this year and already has two PGA Tour events under his belt.
Woodland failed to make the cut in either event, finishing tied for 117th at The Bob Hope Classic and tied for 96th at the Sony Open.
Nobody said the first year on Tour was supposed to be easy.
Recommended reading
It seems like the world has never been smaller than it is today.
Franklin Foer’s “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” takes a unique stab at giving readers a glimpse of the effects of globalization from a different perspective.
Namely, on the people, culture, societies and economic forces that define professional soccer worldwide.
Foer gives readers a sneak peeks at the Old Firm derby in Scotland between Rangers and Celtic, imported Nigerian strikers in Ukraine and how soccer helped organize Serbian war criminals, among many other things.
The stories are engaging and the people involved come from every conceivable walk of life.
Even those without any passion at all for the world’s game can take something away from Foer’s forays into the global nature of footy culture.
— — Edited by Chris Hickerson
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