Jayhawks prepare for tough stretch run
Final five regular season games will decide Kansas’ postseason fate
By Andrew Wiebe (Contact)
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
After 14 games, Kansas’ season is over. Kind of.
The Jayhawks’ 5-0 start has slowly faded from memory, and the rigors of the Big 12 Conference have taken their toll, resulting in an 8-5-1 record with five games remaining. Five games left to prove they belong in the postseason.
“I told the players today, ‘We have a five-game season,’” coach Mark Francis said. “It’s a new animal. We aren’t addressing whom we are playing. We have five opponents, and the first one is this Friday.”
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That opponent is No. 6 Texas A&M (12-1-1, 5-0-1) which should pose the toughest test for Francis’ squad so far this season. The conference-leading Aggies have allowed one goal in six Big 12 games while finding the back of the net 12 times.
Kansas may not be focusing on individual opponents, but the players and coaches know every game is essential to qualifying for the Big 12 Tournament in November, let alone to earning an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
“Our goals this year were to win the Big 12 and make the NCAA Tournament,” junior forward Shannon McCabe said. “Basically to have any chance of doing either of those we have to win these last five games.”
To do that Kansas will have to defy history. In the 13 years the University has fielded a women’s soccer program, the Jayhawks are 15-31-5 against the four teams that make up the remainder of their Big 12 schedule; Texas A&M, No. 14 Texas, Baylor and Missouri.
Kansas can count only two victories in 25 games against the Aggies and Longhorns, but junior defender Kim Boyer said the team couldn’t let history dictate the way they prepare.
“They are both outstanding teams,” Boyer said. “Coach touched on it this week. They are both beatable, but any team in the conference is beatable on any given day.”
Fortunately for Kansas, four of its final five games will be played at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, where it is 4-2 this season.
The Jayhawks will play Francis Marion this Sunday in addition to their conference schedule.
“It sets up pretty well for us,” senior midfielder Jessica Bush said.
Lawrence is also where Kansas has enjoyed its best form this season, scoring 13 goals while allowing seven. What the Jayhawks haven’t done lately is hold leads. Kansas is 1-3-1 in games that in which it opened the scoring since September 21.
Francis’ team has outscored Big 12 opponents 6-2 in the first half but opponents hold an 8-3 advantage in the second half and overtime. He said the problem wasn’t a lack of scoring opportunities, but rather inefficiency in front of goal.
“I feel like at the beginning of the season we were getting all the right bounces, and things were kind of going our way,” McCabe said of Kansas’ 5-0 start. “Our luck has kind of changed towards the end, but its like that in soccer. One day you’re up and the next day you’re down.”
For now the Jayhawks are concentrating on staying positive and taking each game as a separate challenge.
“The season is coming to a close really quickly,” McCabe said. “It went by really fast so we have to take advantage of the opportunities we have now.”
— Edited by Scott R. Toland
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