Tough loss to UCF concludes KU soccer’s road trip

By Henry Greenstein     Sep 25, 2023

article image Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics
Head Coach Mark Francis of the Kansas Jayhawks during the game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Kansas Jayhawks at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence.

The Kansas soccer team played what head coach Mark Francis called “hands down our best game of the year on both sides of the ball,” but fell short in a 1-0 loss at UCF Sunday night when the Knights’ Katie Bradley converted a penalty kick in the 84th minute.

“The game is cruel sometimes,” Francis said in a press release.

UCF forward Chloe Netzel drew contact from KU defender Moira Kelley in the box, and Bradley converted from the spot even as keeper Melania Pasar dove the right direction. The result was the Knights’ third straight league win since opening their first Big 12 Conference slate, and the conclusion of a winless five-match road trip (0-2-2) for Kansas.

The Jayhawks outshot UCF 15-11, including three shots each from Brie Severns and Magali Gagné. KU had a pair of close calls late in the second half, as Gagné saw a shot across the goal drift just wide of the far post, and Lexi Watts nearly redirected a Shira Elinav cross before UCF goalkeeper Caroline DeLisle hauled it in.

DeLisle and Pasar had five saves each.

“Defensively, we did a fantastic job of executing our game plan,” Francis said. “We made it hard for them to build and play what they wanted to play. At the other end, we generated some quality opportunities.”

Elinav, who led KU in goals and shots in 2022, played her second game of the season after making her season debut at Oklahoma State Thursday. She played just 38 minutes as 18 players took the field for the Jayhawks.

KU dropped to 3-3-5 (0-2-1 Big 12) on the season but has a chance to right the ship back at home Thursday against Baylor.

“If we can continue to play like this on both sides of the ball, we’re going to get results,” Francis said. “We have to recover now and get ready for (Baylor) Thursday.”

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Written By Henry Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off "California vibes," whatever that means.