Soccer ends weekend with 1-0 victory

by Sarah Fetters

October 14, 2012

The first goal of the season from sophomore Brooke Gilbert, at 33:38, lifted Texas to a 1-0 victory Sunday afternoon against Kansas. Gilbert took a deflected shot from freshman Kelsey Shimmick and sent the loose ball past a diving Kaitlyn Stroud for the lone goal of the match. The assist was Shimmick’s first of her career.

Texas (7-7-1, 4-1-0 Big 12) was able to even its overall record and, at 4-1-0 in the Big 12 Conference, is off to its best start in league play since a perfect 5-0-0 record in 2002. The Longhorns already have their most conference wins since 2010 with four and have not exceeded four Big 12 victories since 2008, when they claimed five.

Sunday during the sixth minute, Kansas’ Caroline Kastor took the first shot of the game, but freshman goalkeeper Abby Smith tallied the save. Texas responded with the next three shots of the contest. Seniors Kristin Cummins and Hannah Higgins took consecutive attempts in the ninth minute, but the first went wide left and the second was blocked. Sophomore Allison Smith ended the shooting run by missing high at 13:51.

There was not another attempt taken by either team until 27:02, when Gilbert had one blocked following a corner kick by classmate Sharis Lachappelle. In the 34th minute, Gilbert broke the scoreless tie with a shot following another Lachappelle corner. Lachappelle sent in the ball and Shimmick took an attempt that was blocked, but Gilbert controlled the loose ball and put it past Stroud for the lead.

Kansas (8-6-2, 2-4-0 Big 12) took the final shot of the opening half and nearly tied the match at 1-1 as Ashley Williams’ attempt at 40:04 from the right side of the net rolled just wide left.

In the second stanza, the Jayhawks took the first three shots, two by Whitney Berry and one by Kastor. Two missed wide right and another was blocked before reaching Abby Smith. UT responded with attempts by Cummins in the 56th minute and Lachappelle in the 58th, but the former’s went wide left and the latter’s turnaround was saved by Stroud.

Lachappelle took consecutive corner kicks in the 63rd minute to get the UT offense going again. Freshman midfielder Lindsey Meyer got a head on the second serve, but the attempt was blocked.

In the 67th minute, Kastor had another chance to even the score, but her shot was saved by Abby Smith to preserve the one-goal lead.

The Jayhawks tried to mount a rally in the 73rd and 74th minutes as Berry missed high at 72:29 and Abby Smith saved Kastor’s attempt at 73:13.

Kansas served the ball toward the Texas goal in the 77th minute, but Abby Smith came out and booted the ball toward the Jayhawks’ end. A hard-charging Allison Smith tracked down the ball and fired on Stroud, who made a diving stop to keep it a one-goal contest.

Over the remaining 13 minutes, Kansas managed to fire just one shot, a strike by Kastor that went wide left at 83:46.