Michael Gunnoe
Kansas senior Raena Knust celebrates a goal against Tulsa on August 22, 2024, at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
In the KU national soccer team’s first home game on Thursday night against Tulsa, it was not enough for a win, as the game ended in a 2-2 draw at Rock Chalk Park.
The strengths of the KU team were evident from the beginning of the game. The Jayhawks played fast and aggressively, which led to them gaining a dramatic early lead in shots and never quite catching the Golden Hurricanes. Tulsa didn’t get a shot on target until the final two minutes of the first half.
“It felt like we had them cornered for a lot of the game, but they kept fighting and fighting,” coach Nate Lie said after his first home game with the Jayhawks. “They were very dangerous on corners and set pieces and very opportunistic.”
During media day earlier this month, Lie said he wanted spectators to not have to turn their heads and that the ball and all the action should revolve around the offensive third. The Jayhawks largely accomplished that goal, especially early on. Lie said after the game that five of the team’s seven best scoring opportunities came in the first 15 minutes of the game, but none of them resulted in a goal.
“If you do that against a good team and let them keep up, at some point the dynamic changes,” Lie said.
Lexi Watts led the offense in the first half, accounting for four of the team’s 12 shots and two of KU’s four shots on goal. The defense prevented Tulsa from maintaining possession for most of the half. Throughout the first half, the Golden Hurricanes had controlled possession in the offensive half of the court for brief moments that added up to just a minute or two.
In one of those brief moments, the Golden Hurricanes managed to get the ball into the goal area, which was hit by a KU player and landed in the Jayhawks’ net. Despite a goal advantage of 12-2, the Jayhawks went into halftime with a goal deficit.
KU recovered quickly after the break, tying the game with a goal from Jillian Gregorski and an assist from Saige Wimes. Lie praised his team for their response after halftime.
“We’re going to try to develop a winning habit here in KU soccer, and a winning habit is how you react when you concede a goal or how you score a goal,” Lie said. “We were disappointed at halftime, but you have to give the team credit. They got the message and implemented it and scored two goals pretty quickly.”
After the equalizer, the Jayhawks were close to taking the lead. Wimes’ shot was blocked, followed by Lauren Wood’s shot, which was also blocked. By the 60th minute, the Jayhawks had a 21-3 shot advantage.
The Jayhawks finally took the lead in the 68th minute with Raena Knust scoring the goal and Wimes adding her second assist of the game. The Jayhawks continued to push but were unable to score for the rest of the night.
Towards the end of the second half, the Golden Hurricanes stepped up their attack and equalized in the 78th minute with a goal from sophomore Leah Diaz.
The Jayhawks continued to have the ball and attack the goal, but nothing came of it. Despite 30 shots on goal to Tulsa’s six, the game ended in a 2-2 tie. A challenging game like this can be beneficial for the team, as they are dealing with a major roster shakeup and a new coach.
“We need games like this, we need games where the last minutes count,” Lie said. “We need to learn to manage games better and hopefully we will learn the lessons we need from this.”
The result was a disappointment for the team in its home opener, but the Jayhawks will need to bounce back quickly when they face a strong Brown team on the road on Monday. Lie said his team will have to earn everything for this game.
“One of the themes of the teams we’ve played is that you have to earn what you get,” he said. “Brown is one of the most successful teams in college football over the last four years — they’ve only ever won. But the reason we scheduled them is because we have goals and to achieve those goals we’re going to have to beat some good teams.”
Michael GunnoeKansas freshman Mikayla Moore-Pascal and teammates celebrate with senior Raena Knust against Tulsa on August 22, 2024 at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
Michael GunnoeKansas head coach Nate Lie smiles before the game against Tulsa at Rock Chalk Park on August 22, 2024 in Lawrence, Kansas.
Michael GunnoeKansas sophomore Hallie Klanke dribbles the ball down the field against Tulsa on August 22, 2024 at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
Michael GunnoeKansas freshman Jillian Gregorski crosses the ball against Tulsa on August 22, 2024, at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
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Written by David Rodish
