Kansas University’s soccer team might have been a bit tired during Sunday’s match against Central Florida at SuperTarget Field.
The Jayhawks were playing their fifth match in 10 days and coming off an exhausting 3-1 victory Friday over Florida State. The rugged stretch left half the roster banged up to some capacity and longing for an ice bag and a nap.
No matter. Kansas delivered another bruising performance Sunday against the Knights and captured the Crimson and Blue Invitational with a 1-0 victory.
“I think you could tell in the warm-up that they were ready to go,” said Kansas coach Mark Francis of the tired but focused Jayhawks. “That was a little bit of a concern of mine after playing so well against a very good team Friday, that we would have a let-down today. I didn’t know if we would have anything left in the tank.”
Apparently giving the squad the day off Saturday was a good decision because the Jayhawks (6-1) had just enough energy left to squeak past the aggressive Knights.
Kansas put Central Florida goalkeeper Julie Snaman under heavy pressure in the opening minutes. KU forward Caroline Smith scored all three goals Friday — eventually being named the tournament’s Offensive MVP — so the sophomore from Edina, Minn., was the obvious choice to turn to for an early goal.
“They changed their lineup to put their best player on Caroline,” Francis said, “which changed the way they play. That was a factor for us because (JoAnna Black) went to the middle (on defense). She’s one of their best players and is a threat going forward out of the back, and she couldn’t do that today.”
Black couldn’t attack, but she kept Smith in check. Smith misfired on four first-half shots before Rachel Gilfillan put Kansas on the board in the 27th minute when Holly Gault’s point-blank shot ricocheted off Snaman and Gilfillan buried it home.
The Jayhawks continued to pepper Snaman with shots, but it was a defensive battle the rest of the way.
Central Florida had three corner kicks in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half but never attempted a shot. The Knights kept the pressure on but didn’t place a single shot on goal in the half because Kansas’ defensive front of Maggie Mason, Stacy Leeper and Gault never game them a chance.
“Every team’s going to be physical and every team’s going to run at you,” Gault said, “so you’ve just got to stick it, don’t let them get by and knock them down.”
That defensive efficiency landed Gault and midfielder Amy Geha on the all-tournament team. It also helped Kansas blank an opponent for the third time this season and allowed junior goalkeeper Meghan Miller to tie the KU record with her 11th career shutout.
“It means a lot, but it’s all for the team,” Miller said of the record. “If they’re not out there busting their butts then it doesn’t matter what I do. It’s just as much their record as it is mine.”