Kansas State drops first soccer game

Previously...

As Jon Morse noted yesterday, college football is so close you can practically smell it. BracketCat’s countdown is rolling along, and this weekend, you get a three-fer: a pair of #14s in punter Nick Walsh and freshman quarterback Hunter Hall, and a bonus #13 freshman quarterback Wykeen Gill.

“Football”

Kansas State soccer had its official debut yesterday. The Wildcats took on Saint Louis at the Billikens’ home field and promptly lost the match 3-1. Still, there were some positives in the opening loss, including learning and adapting to the game in real time.

As Mike Dibbini noted, the team came out of the blocks a bit slow and promptly found themselves down two goals. The Wildcats made a spirited comeback in the second half, scoring the program’s first ever goal, a corner kick from Katie Cramer, in the 66th minute. But the team could not capitalize on the momentum and were ultimately dominated by Saint Louis. The Billikens had significantly more shots on goal (13 to 3), more corner kicks (10 to 7), and more saves (10 to 1).

Kansas State will conclude its opening weekend of soccer tomorrow with a match against SIUE at 1 PM.

Real Football

As we get closer to kickoff, questions around roster replacements abound. Who will replace key starters from last season? What can we expect from these new players?

Freshman tackle Scott Frantz, taking over the left tackle spot from Cody Whitehair, knows he has big shoes to fill. He knows he won’t be quite at Whitehair’s level in this first season, but he’s added muscle and speed and worked hard in the preseason. The coaches think he’s “loaded with upside.” Take from that what you will (Kellis Robinett, Kansas City Star).

The offensive line, of all units, is the one where new faces may have the most impact, partly because of lack of depth at various positions on the line. The only returning starter is Dalton Risner, who may move from center to right tackle. Whether the move happens will depend on the development of two junior college transfers, Abdul Beecham and Breontae Matthews. As with most JuCo transfers, the pair have struggled with the transition to a higher level of play but are likely to be ready by the time the season begins (Riley Gates, Topeka Capital-Journal).

Finally, in his weekly Q&A, Kellis Robinett answers football-related questions for Kansas State fans, including the all-important question of whether we will ever see a Bill Snyder signature version of the Nike Cortez shoes.

Track and Field

This afternoon, former Wildcat Alyx Treasure will take on the world in the finals of the women’s high jump. As Jon noted briefly in yesterday’s Slate, she qualified for the finals with a leap of 1.94m, which was also a personal best. Treasure, a former Big 12 high jump champion and NCAA silver medalist, is Kansas State’s last shot at a medal at the 2016 Games.