Caroline Castans and Faith Johnston netted twice apiece in the second half alone, and the Kansas soccer team scored its highest-ever quantity of goals against a Division I opponent in a 7-0 victory against Missouri State on Sunday morning at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Missouri.
In a game moved earlier in the day due to heat, on their first road trip of the 2026 season, the Jayhawks looked wholly unfazed. Kate Langfelder seized on a weak clearance out of the goalmouth by a Missouri State defender in the seventh minute, Lipscomb transfer London De Fini slid for a left-footed goal off a long-range service by Gianna Weiner to double the lead early and then KU poured it on in the second half.
The Jayhawks once scored seven goals against Division II Francis Marion on Oct. 19, 2008 but had not replicated the feat against a higher-level opponent until Sunday.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Kansas head coach Nate Lie said in a press release. “It was very hot out here and we had to move the game. To come out and put in a professional performance, it shows our growth and our maturity. It was a nice statement of intent. The final score got out of hand a little bit on the scoreboard, but it wasn’t indicative of the game.”
Castans, a recent addition to the watchlist for Hermann Trophy given to the nation’s best player, usually contributes primarily via assists, but on Sunday she both lofted what looked like it was supposed to be a cross over the head of Missouri State goalkeeper Kate Lewis and then stepped up to send another strike past Victoria Spahn just over 10 minutes later.
Midfielder Marit McLaughlin, a sophomore newly inserted into the starting lineup this season, recorded her first career goal off a left-footed cross by Livvy Moore (off which Norah Jacomen might have been able to score herself). Then Johnston, a reserve striker who had some big moments in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, scored twice, once off a close-range assist by Sophia Mir and once from her own run.
“One thing I’m really proud of is that we challenged the team at halftime to stay on the front foot, to stay on the gas, no matter what the score was,” Lie said in the release. “… It was really nice to see Faith get those goals at the end. We’re a deep team. We’ve talked about it. It should be a differentiator for us, so I’m really glad to be able to get so many players on the field today as well.”
De Fini finished with three assists to add to her lone goal, as she assisted both of Castans’ goals and Johnston’s first.
KU had a 20-1 advantage in shots, including 10 on goal. Goalkeeper Sophie Dawe made her only save on Emma Shields in the 21st minute.
Dawe’s backup, freshman Brooklyn Smith, played the final minute in her collegiate debut. Midfielder Chloe Trotter and forward Gabby Thompson also debuted.
KU (2-0) will continue a lengthy road stretch at Ohio State at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
