Strong second half lifts KU over Furman

By Ryan Colaianni - Journal-World Sports Writer

Posted Saturday, August 26, 2006

Kansas University freshman middle fielder monica dolinsky, center, is congratulated by teammates after scoring. KU defeated Furman, 3-0, Friday at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

Kansas University soccer coach Mark Francis was visibly upset when he lashed out to his team at halftime. The Jayhawks led by one and, in his mind, were playing sluggish.

The halftime talk worked.

“We came out a little slow, and we just thought, ‘Hey we are better than this team, and we can kind of go half speed,’” senior captain Holly Gault said of the team’s first-half performance.

Kansas picked up its performance in the second half, scoring two more goals, and easily disposed of Furman, 3-0, Friday afternoon at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.

“I thought we were pretty poor in the first half,” Francis said. “I kind of had to get on them at halftime. Kind of rip into them a little bit.”

Photo by Rachel Seymour

Kansas senior midfielder Lacey Novak makes a long pass down field during the second half of the Friday evening's game against Furman in Lawrence. Novak scored the Jayhawks' final goal in their 3-0 victory.

Kansas controlled the pace of attack throughout the game, beginning attacks from the midfield — led by senior Holly Gault — because Furman had a difficult time breaking into the Kansas defense.

Kansas had just two shots on goal in the first half, before sophomore forward Sara Rogers received a deflected pass from defender Nikki Alvarez. The pass gave Rogers a one-on-one breakaway, and she flicked it by the goalkeeper for her first career goal.

“It was really exciting,” Rogers said. “I got an awesome pass from Nikki, and I just luckily got through and tapped it in.”

Kansas started of the second half the way Francis would have liked, scoring in the 49th minute. Freshman Monica Dolinsky received a pass from junior Afton Sauer six yards from the goal and put it away easily.

Gault set up the prettiest goal of the night when she passed backwards in front of the goal to Lacey Novak for another easy tally in the 58th minute.

“I just ended up getting in behind the defense, and I could just see Lacey in the corner of my eye, so I just laid it back to her and she finished it perfectly,” Gault said.