Kansas soccer coach Nate Lie has a bunch of objectives and goals for his team’s showdown with No. 2 Florida State at Rock Chalk Park on Thursday night.
Competing hard, playing well, building momentum, staying together and, of course, winning are all on the list.
But there’s one thing that Lie wants to see from his team that sits above everything else – not being afraid to stand tall and look the Seminoles in the eye as they compete on the field.
“I sure hope so,” Lie said this week in previewing the match. “That is one of the things I want our team to understand; we’re a good team.”
Recent history and their hot, 3-0-1 start to the 2025 season certainly suggest that that’s true. And Lie can rest easy knowing that his team understands that.
If anything, the chance to take on one of the sport’s truly elite teams on their home field — Lie called Florida State the best team in the country, pound for pound — has the Jayhawks believing that even more.
See, these matches weren’t always the norm at Kansas. And as soon as Lie took over, he sought out ways to schedule more of them so his team could get comfortable competing in these types of games and the pressure-packed environments they create.
“I think it honestly helps, playing a team like Florida State, who is ranked high,” junior defender Caroline Castans said earlier this week. “It helps keep you focused and keep you motivated.”
Added KU goalkeeper Sophie Dawe of the Seminoles, a few of whom she played with in showcase events: “They’re definitely locked in with everything they do, like every little detail. Florida State’s definitely a team where if you’re not locked in for all 90 minutes, you’ll be punished.”
KU goalie Sophie Dawe (left) and defender Caroline Castans (right) during recent matches. [Kansas Athletics photos]
The Seminoles, ranked No. 2 in this week’s Top Drawer soccer rankings, will be the highest-ranked team the Jayhawks have ever welcomed to Lawrence.
As such, the athletic department and its marketing folks are trying to drum up as much interest as possible in the match, creating giveaways and incentives for fans — especially KU students — to show up at Rock Chalk Park on Thursday night.
And while Lie genuinely appreciates the love, he’s hoping this is just the start of this kind of thing becoming a regular occurrence in Lawrence. And he’s trying hard to make sure his team understands that as much as its supporters, even if he encouraged the Jayhawks to treat the week like any other week in terms of their process, approach and preparation.
“We hope people come to Rock Chalk watch us play,” he said. “We hope that we represent the program well. We hope we compete well. When you play someone like this, you can't base all success off that. But we want to go out there to compete, play well and show our identity.”
"I think it honestly helps, playing a team like Florida State, who is ranked high. It helps keep you focused and keep you motivated."
— Junior defender/midfielder Caroline Castans
Said Castans of the team’s approach this week: “I think our team does a good job of looking at every opponent like they’re gonna give us their all, because they will. It would be great to win, but playing well is also very important. It just sets you up for the rest of the season.”
The way this team is tracking — having won 12 of its l as 14 games, dating to back to last season, and suffering just one loss in the last 15 — playing well, expecting to win and competing with some of the best programs in the country has become a bit commonplace.
Lie calls that being a team that “plays up,” saying, “I think a lot of how we're built is to deal with the best teams.”
Regardless of how this one turns out, the Jayhawks are just eager to see who shows up and how they fare in one of the more high-profile, regular-season matches the school has ever hosted.
“It’s always fun when our supporters are out there, especially a Thursday night game under the lights,” Castans said. “I think it just adds to the energy and makes it more exciting.”
“Soccer’s a crazy game and anyone can win, so I’m just excited for Thursday.”
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be shown on ESPN+.
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