Shira Elinav scored a goal in the 53rd minute of the match to give KU a 1-0 victory against Iowa on Thursday night at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex. The goal was Elinav’s first of the season.
Kansas came out strong against Iowa and had multiple opportunities in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Raena Childers sent a corner just over the crossbar in the 10th minute. Then, Elinav and Boeve both nearly had headers in the 17th and 20th minutes, respectively. Another great opportunity came in the 42nd minute when freshman forward Lexi Watts sent a cross to sophomore forward Emma Beltz that forced the goalkeeper to make a tough save. Despite a 0-0 score, Kansas held an 8-4 shot advantage at the break.
The Jayhawks began the second half on the offensive attack. In the 53rd minute, freshman forward Maree Shinkle hit a corner kick to the far post and Elinav was able to connect on a header that snuck in under the crossbar. The Kansas defense would hold for the remainder of the match.
A big part of the defense was senior goalkeeper Melania Pasar. Pasar had a career-high seven saves in the game to record her second straight shutout. Prior to this season, Pasar only had one shutout in her career.
The back-to-back shutouts for Kansas mark the first time with consecutive shutouts since Aug. 29, 2021 vs. Iowa (1-0 OT) and Aug. 26, 2021 vs. Saint Louis (2-0). Dating back to the beginning of the 2020-21 season, KU now has 13 shutouts.
Kansas finished the game with an edge on shots (15-13) and corner kicks (9-4). KU improved to 2-1, while Iowa dropped to 1-2.
Kansas (2-1) will continue its road trip on Sunday in Des Moines against Drake. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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