— KANSAS ATHLETICS RELEASE —
BROOKINGS, S.D. (KUAthletics.com) – In the 2024 season opener and the coaching debut of first-year head coach Nate Lie, Kansas defeated South Dakota State 2-1 on Thursday night at Fishback Soccer Park. Freshmen Jillian Gregorski and Shea Ryan both scored their first career goals and redshirt freshman Sophie Dawe earned the win in net in her first career game.
“It was a long, hard fought 90 minutes with a lightning delay in there,” Lie said. “First, that is a very, very good team. We just got done talking as a staff, and they’re going to win a lot of games. I think they taught us a few lessons on the field tonight…getting that goal right before the lightning break – Jill, Shea, Lexi – was huge. I think it calmed us down and I think it instilled some belief. We had some players come up big and score scrappy goals…I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two freshmen found the back of the net because they have been doing it all preseason.”
An NCAA Tournament team a season ago, South Dakota State (0-1) took the lead in the match first. After the Jayhawks committed a foul just outside the box, Laney Murdzek took the free kick and put it in the top left corner of the net to give SDSU a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute.
Kansas (1-0) responded a little over three minutes later in the 23rd minute. Junior Lexi Watts sent a cross into the box and Ryan deflected it away from the goalkeeper to Gregorski who put it in the back of the net for her first career goal. That tied the game at 1-1.
“I came into this game and I had a different role,” Gregorski said. “I wanted to be an attacking threat and I wanted to help do my part to help this team succeed.”
A couple minutes later, the match entered a lightning delay that lasted approximately 30 minutes.
After play resumed, Kansas was able to take the lead in the 35th minute. Emika Kawigishi sent a ball into the box and it deflected off Gregorski to Ryan who was able to get it past the goalkeeper to score her first career goal. The score put Kansas ahead 2-1.
“I think we came in hungry,” Ryan said. “We all wanted it more than we could imagine and I know we’re going to come out on Sunday even harder. I had a blast out there and I think we all did.”
Kansas led 2-1 at halftime and never relinquished the lead. South Dakota State edged Kansas 13-12 in shots, but the Jayhawks held a 6-5 advantage on shots on goal. Dawe made four saves in her debut.
NOTES
• Kansas improved to 15-11-4 all-time in season openers, including 4-1-2 in the past seven seasons.
• Kansas dealt South Dakota State its first regular season loss at home since Sept. 10, 2018, against Arizona State. South Dakota State had only lost a combined four games at home in its last seven seasons.
• Thirteen Kansas players made their collegiate debuts.
• Gregorski recorded her first career goal and first career assist in her first career game.
• Ryan tallied her first career goal and first career assist in her collegiate debut.
UP NEXT
Kansas will stay on the road and travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to play Drake on Sunday afternoon. The game is slated for 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
