Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoNot that long ago Meghan Miller was the leading candidate to become Kansas University’s poster girl for homesickness.
“I had all but bought a ticket home,” said Miller, freshman goalie on KU’s soccer team. “I’m fine now, though. I’m not going anywhere.”
With Miller in goal on Friday afternoon, KU blanked Missouri, 2-0, in its regular season finale to secure a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference.
It was also the fourth straight shutout posted by the Jayhawks with the 5-foot-10 Miller patrolling the nets.
“I have to credit the whole team,” KU coach Mark Francis said about the shutout streak. “We’ve corrected some things. We gave up too many soft goals and corner kicks early in the season, but a lot of credit also goes to Meghan.”
Francis recruited Miller out of Seattle where she was a high school and club standout.
“We knew she was good,” Francis said, “but with any freshman you don’t know how they’re going to adjust.”
Some freshmen have no trouble with the transition. Others are well, like Miller.
“I had a hard time adjusting,” she said. “I wanted to go home. I was homesick. The first few games I didn’t play that well. And the getting up at 6 a.m. for weights, then going to school, then practice “
The low point occurred when Miller came down with a case of tonsillitis.
“That was the worst time of my life. I felt so bad,” she said.
But Miller is over the hump now and so are the surging Jayhawks who not only have posted the first winning season since the program was elevated to varsity status in 1995, but will go to next week’s Big 12 Conference Tournament in San Antonio with the momentum of the four goose eggs in a row.
“It’s actually quite amazing in this league,” Miller said of the whitewashes. “It’s just amazing. We couldn’t have done it without our defense. They save me all the time.”
Miller made six saves Friday while another freshman, Monica Brothers, had a hand in both goals. At the 24:52 mark of the first half, Brothers notched her ninth goal on a header off passes from Natalie Hoogveld and Amy Geha that bounced off the post, hit MU goalkeeper Megan Duncan and pin-balled into the goal.
Then with about 10 minutes remaining, Brothers fed Hilla Rantala, one of three seniors playing for the last time at SuperTarget Field, and Rantala drilled the ball past Duncan for her team-leading 10th goal.
“I’ll always remember today,” Rantala said. “It’s a great day. It was good to score because I hadn’t had a goal in a long time. Most of my goals were early in the season. I’ve struggled lately and I think this will be good for me mentally.”
Kansas finished 7-3 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are 13-5 overall. The 13 wins are five more than any KU team has ever posted.
Missouri finished 5-5 in the league and in fifth place, meaning the Jayhawks and Tigers will tangle again next Thursday in the first round of the league tourney.
“Psychologically, I think this game will help us next week,” Francis said. “We dominated them today. It’s not like we scraped through. It’s better to go into that game with a win instead of a loss.”
Notes: The KU-MU match in San Antonio will start at 1:30 p.m. next Thursday. The winner will almost certainly meet No. 1 seed Texas on Friday in the semifinals. The championship game will be on Sunday. Hoogveld and Melanie Schroeder are the other two seniors who bowed out Friday KU’s other victims in the four-shutout streak were Drury (5-0), Baylor (3-0) and Saint Louis (3-0).
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoNot that long ago Meghan Miller was the leading candidate to become Kansas University’s poster girl for homesickness.
“I had all but bought a ticket home,” said Miller, freshman goalie on KU’s soccer team. “I’m fine now, though. I’m not going anywhere.”
With Miller in goal on Friday afternoon, KU blanked Missouri, 2-0, in its regular season finale to secure a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference.
It was also the fourth straight shutout posted by the Jayhawks with the 5-foot-10 Miller patrolling the nets.
“I have to credit the whole team,” KU coach Mark Francis said about the shutout streak. “We’ve corrected some things. We gave up too many soft goals and corner kicks early in the season, but a lot of credit also goes to Meghan.”
Francis recruited Miller out of Seattle where she was a high school and club standout.
“We knew she was good,” Francis said, “but with any freshman you don’t know how they’re going to adjust.”
Some freshmen have no trouble with the transition. Others are well, like Miller.
“I had a hard time adjusting,” she said. “I wanted to go home. I was homesick. The first few games I didn’t play that well. And the getting up at 6 a.m. for weights, then going to school, then practice “
The low point occurred when Miller came down with a case of tonsillitis.
“That was the worst time of my life. I felt so bad,” she said.
But Miller is over the hump now and so are the surging Jayhawks who not only have posted the first winning season since the program was elevated to varsity status in 1995, but will go to next week’s Big 12 Conference Tournament in San Antonio with the momentum of the four goose eggs in a row.
“It’s actually quite amazing in this league,” Miller said of the whitewashes. “It’s just amazing. We couldn’t have done it without our defense. They save me all the time.”
Miller made six saves Friday while another freshman, Monica Brothers, had a hand in both goals. At the 24:52 mark of the first half, Brothers notched her ninth goal on a header off passes from Natalie Hoogveld and Amy Geha that bounced off the post, hit MU goalkeeper Megan Duncan and pin-balled into the goal.
Then with about 10 minutes remaining, Brothers fed Hilla Rantala, one of three seniors playing for the last time at SuperTarget Field, and Rantala drilled the ball past Duncan for her team-leading 10th goal.
“I’ll always remember today,” Rantala said. “It’s a great day. It was good to score because I hadn’t had a goal in a long time. Most of my goals were early in the season. I’ve struggled lately and I think this will be good for me mentally.”
Kansas finished 7-3 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are 13-5 overall. The 13 wins are five more than any KU team has ever posted.
Missouri finished 5-5 in the league and in fifth place, meaning the Jayhawks and Tigers will tangle again next Thursday in the first round of the league tourney.
“Psychologically, I think this game will help us next week,” Francis said. “We dominated them today. It’s not like we scraped through. It’s better to go into that game with a win instead of a loss.”
Notes: The KU-MU match in San Antonio will start at 1:30 p.m. next Thursday. The winner will almost certainly meet No. 1 seed Texas on Friday in the semifinals. The championship game will be on Sunday. Hoogveld and Melanie Schroeder are the other two seniors who bowed out Friday KU’s other victims in the four-shutout streak were Drury (5-0), Baylor (3-0) and Saint Louis (3-0).
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoNot that long ago Meghan Miller was the leading candidate to become Kansas University’s poster girl for homesickness.
“I had all but bought a ticket home,” said Miller, freshman goalie on KU’s soccer team. “I’m fine now, though. I’m not going anywhere.”
With Miller in goal on Friday afternoon, KU blanked Missouri, 2-0, in its regular season finale to secure a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference.
It was also the fourth straight shutout posted by the Jayhawks with the 5-foot-10 Miller patrolling the nets.
“I have to credit the whole team,” KU coach Mark Francis said about the shutout streak. “We’ve corrected some things. We gave up too many soft goals and corner kicks early in the season, but a lot of credit also goes to Meghan.”
Francis recruited Miller out of Seattle where she was a high school and club standout.
“We knew she was good,” Francis said, “but with any freshman you don’t know how they’re going to adjust.”
Some freshmen have no trouble with the transition. Others are well, like Miller.
“I had a hard time adjusting,” she said. “I wanted to go home. I was homesick. The first few games I didn’t play that well. And the getting up at 6 a.m. for weights, then going to school, then practice “
The low point occurred when Miller came down with a case of tonsillitis.
“That was the worst time of my life. I felt so bad,” she said.
But Miller is over the hump now and so are the surging Jayhawks who not only have posted the first winning season since the program was elevated to varsity status in 1995, but will go to next week’s Big 12 Conference Tournament in San Antonio with the momentum of the four goose eggs in a row.
“It’s actually quite amazing in this league,” Miller said of the whitewashes. “It’s just amazing. We couldn’t have done it without our defense. They save me all the time.”
Miller made six saves Friday while another freshman, Monica Brothers, had a hand in both goals. At the 24:52 mark of the first half, Brothers notched her ninth goal on a header off passes from Natalie Hoogveld and Amy Geha that bounced off the post, hit MU goalkeeper Megan Duncan and pin-balled into the goal.
Then with about 10 minutes remaining, Brothers fed Hilla Rantala, one of three seniors playing for the last time at SuperTarget Field, and Rantala drilled the ball past Duncan for her team-leading 10th goal.
“I’ll always remember today,” Rantala said. “It’s a great day. It was good to score because I hadn’t had a goal in a long time. Most of my goals were early in the season. I’ve struggled lately and I think this will be good for me mentally.”
Kansas finished 7-3 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are 13-5 overall. The 13 wins are five more than any KU team has ever posted.
Missouri finished 5-5 in the league and in fifth place, meaning the Jayhawks and Tigers will tangle again next Thursday in the first round of the league tourney.
“Psychologically, I think this game will help us next week,” Francis said. “We dominated them today. It’s not like we scraped through. It’s better to go into that game with a win instead of a loss.”
Notes: The KU-MU match in San Antonio will start at 1:30 p.m. next Thursday. The winner will almost certainly meet No. 1 seed Texas on Friday in the semifinals. The championship game will be on Sunday. Hoogveld and Melanie Schroeder are the other two seniors who bowed out Friday KU’s other victims in the four-shutout streak were Drury (5-0), Baylor (3-0) and Saint Louis (3-0).
Richard Gwin/Journal-World PhotoNot that long ago Meghan Miller was the leading candidate to become Kansas University’s poster girl for homesickness.
“I had all but bought a ticket home,” said Miller, freshman goalie on KU’s soccer team. “I’m fine now, though. I’m not going anywhere.”
With Miller in goal on Friday afternoon, KU blanked Missouri, 2-0, in its regular season finale to secure a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference.
It was also the fourth straight shutout posted by the Jayhawks with the 5-foot-10 Miller patrolling the nets.
“I have to credit the whole team,” KU coach Mark Francis said about the shutout streak. “We’ve corrected some things. We gave up too many soft goals and corner kicks early in the season, but a lot of credit also goes to Meghan.”
Francis recruited Miller out of Seattle where she was a high school and club standout.
“We knew she was good,” Francis said, “but with any freshman you don’t know how they’re going to adjust.”
Some freshmen have no trouble with the transition. Others are well, like Miller.
“I had a hard time adjusting,” she said. “I wanted to go home. I was homesick. The first few games I didn’t play that well. And the getting up at 6 a.m. for weights, then going to school, then practice “
The low point occurred when Miller came down with a case of tonsillitis.
“That was the worst time of my life. I felt so bad,” she said.
But Miller is over the hump now and so are the surging Jayhawks who not only have posted the first winning season since the program was elevated to varsity status in 1995, but will go to next week’s Big 12 Conference Tournament in San Antonio with the momentum of the four goose eggs in a row.
“It’s actually quite amazing in this league,” Miller said of the whitewashes. “It’s just amazing. We couldn’t have done it without our defense. They save me all the time.”
Miller made six saves Friday while another freshman, Monica Brothers, had a hand in both goals. At the 24:52 mark of the first half, Brothers notched her ninth goal on a header off passes from Natalie Hoogveld and Amy Geha that bounced off the post, hit MU goalkeeper Megan Duncan and pin-balled into the goal.
Then with about 10 minutes remaining, Brothers fed Hilla Rantala, one of three seniors playing for the last time at SuperTarget Field, and Rantala drilled the ball past Duncan for her team-leading 10th goal.
“I’ll always remember today,” Rantala said. “It’s a great day. It was good to score because I hadn’t had a goal in a long time. Most of my goals were early in the season. I’ve struggled lately and I think this will be good for me mentally.”
Kansas finished 7-3 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks are 13-5 overall. The 13 wins are five more than any KU team has ever posted.
Missouri finished 5-5 in the league and in fifth place, meaning the Jayhawks and Tigers will tangle again next Thursday in the first round of the league tourney.
“Psychologically, I think this game will help us next week,” Francis said. “We dominated them today. It’s not like we scraped through. It’s better to go into that game with a win instead of a loss.”
Notes: The KU-MU match in San Antonio will start at 1:30 p.m. next Thursday. The winner will almost certainly meet No. 1 seed Texas on Friday in the semifinals. The championship game will be on Sunday. Hoogveld and Melanie Schroeder are the other two seniors who bowed out Friday KU’s other victims in the four-shutout streak were Drury (5-0), Baylor (3-0) and Saint Louis (3-0).
