Scott McClurg/Journal-World PhotosKansas University’s soccer players were licking their wounds following a tug-of-war battle with Baylor in their Big 12 Conference opener Friday, but the battered and bruised Jayhawks don’t have to ice a blemish to their record.
Four players went down because of injuries against the Bears (5-4, 0-1 Big 12), but No. 19 Kansas (9-1, 1-0) hung on for a 1-0 double-overtime win at SuperTarget Field.
“I thought we deserved to win the game in the end,” Kansas coach Mark Francis said, “but I think we need to strive to play better than we did today.”
Senior reserve Carmel Kaplinger buried the game-winner in the 108th minute during a free-for-all in the box that started when Rachel Gilfillan charged toward the goal and fired a pass to Caroline Smith.
Smith wheeled and fired a shot from point-blank range that deflected off Baylor goalkeeper Monica Housden. Kaplinger contained the ball and peppered two more shots off Housden before her third try snuck through a defender’s legs, just past the near post and into the net.
“It was like mass commotion,” Kaplinger said. “Me and Caroline both had like three shots on goal right there. I just remember it rolling over the goal line.”
The defense was as solid as ever, with freshmen Nikki Alvarez and Danika Erickson making noticeable improvement while helping goalkeeper Meghan Miller log her fifth shutout of the year.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawk offense seemed out of synch, struggling to create fluid attacks. Kansas still placed 13 shots on goal, but most were tough to handle because of poor passing.
“We were basically playing down to their game,” Kaplinger said. “We were doing things that (coach) told us earlier in the week not to do, but we pulled it out.”
Kansas started both halves on fire, with Gilfillan hitting the crossbar early in the first half and Smith taking the second-half kickoff to the goal before firing wide. The Jayhawks spent the rest of regulation blasting off-target shots and filling ice bags for injured players before escaping with the win.
Defender Maggie Mason and midfielder Gabriela Quiggle went down with injured ankles in the second half. Then, Miller and junior defender Stacy Leeper were hurt with five seconds left in regulation during a scramble in front of the goal. Both remained in the game.
“We’ve been plenty fortunate up to now with people getting injured,” Francis said, “but there are a couple of them that are going to be questionable for Sunday. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Although they won, the Jayhawks said they didn’t play particularly well while Baylor gave a fearless effort.
“Being ranked makes teams go after you a little bit harder,” Leeper said. “I don’t think we got overconfident. It’s just teams are going to come to play us. We’re not a mystery anymore or the underdog.”
The Jayhawks depart today for Lubbock, Texas, where they will play Texas Tech at 1 p.m. Sunday.
