With one season remaining in her Kansas career, the time has arrived for KU soccer star Lexi Watts to pour everything she’s got into her final season on the pitch.
As she does, we’ll follow her every step of the way in the latest edition of our weekly diary series that will chronicle Watts' 2025 season.
Some of what you’ll read here, in Watts' own words, will focus on the stuff happening between the lines — big wins, memorable moments and the grind of the season.
But a lot of it will focus on Watts the person, who loves soccer, loves KU, loves her teammates & coaches and is looking to make one more mark on the program before she says goodbye.
The Watts File
Age: 21 | Number: 18 | Height: 5-7 | Position: Forward
High School: St. James Academy (Lenexa) | Club: Sporting Blue Valley
Notable: Lexi Watts began playing soccer at 3 years old and has not looked back. The daughter of soccer-playing parents, Watts quickly showed her skills in the game en route to earning all-league and all-state honors in high school, where she solidified her status as a goal-scoring machine... During an all-Big 12 freshman year at Kansas in 2022, Watts' 6 goals were the most by a KU freshman since 2012... In Year 2, Watts appeared in all 18 KU matches, finishing second in points scored and third in assists... Last season was Watts' true breakout season, as she finished with a team-best 21 points and 9 goals. Her shots on goal (38) and total shots (82) both ranked in the top seven on KU's all-time, single-season lists, and she was named to the Big 12's all-tournament team as the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the 2024 Big 12 tourney, with a spot all-Big 12 first team following that.
KU record to date: 9-3-2 overall, 3-3 in Big 12 play
Next up: Thursday vs. No. 22 West Virginia, 6 p.m. kickoff (ESPN+) and Sunday vs. Cincinnati, 1 p.m. kickoff (ESPN+)
Watts is used to opposing teams paying plenty of attention to her.
As the Jayhawks’ leading goal scorer of the past two seasons, the KU senior has not only seen a lot of defenses designed to slow her down but also has had to get creative in the way she attacks.
What teams don’t fully know about Watts, however, is that that’s when she feels her best.
As competitive as they come, Watts is fueled by anyone trying to tell her she can’t or won’t do something.
On the pitch, that typically shows itself when teams try to mess with her, which, she said, has happened a lot more this year than ever before.
“People have definitely been playing me differently. It’s a lot different, but I also put a lot of pressure on myself and I expect to score goals no matter what.”
She’s done that 6 times in 13 games so far this season — she led the Jayhawks with 9 goals last year and tallied 2 as a sophomore and 6 more her freshman season — but also has just one goal in KU’s last seven games.
That, too, gets under her skin.
“If I’m not scoring but the team’s winning, I’m still mad because I want to score. I know that’s crazy, and I’m happy whenever we win, but I also feel like I should score. That’s my job and I always want to make sure I’m doing my part to help our team.”
The different ways that teams have tried to keep her off the board this season have included everything from physical play and strategic positioning to mind games and subtle tricks.
Watts isn’t having any of it.
Last week, during the Jayhawks’ 3-1 win at Iowa State, Watts was called for fouls on a couple of occasions after smacking the hands away of Iowa State defenders who had crowded her or even wrapped their arms around her.
“The coaches have told me, ‘Control what you can control, try and not hit them back.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not just gonna let them hit me.’ And then, what, they’re gonna just try and bully me the entire game? That’s not gonna happen either. That’s just not my personality.”
“I feel like I play better when I’m mad, so, honestly, if they do that, I’m like, ‘You’re just gonna make me angry and then I will go after you.’ I don’t love those games, but I also do like it because I play better and that intensity is my way of letting it all out.”
Other instances of these games opponents have played with Watts include tugging on her jersey when she starts to run toward the ball even when it’s 50 yards away and on the other side of the field, or face-guarding her and impeding her progress like a basketball player protecting the paint when she tries to run back into the action.
Regardless of the antics, Watts says the higher the stakes the more fun she has. And the more rewarding it is when she breaks through for a goal.
“A lot of people break down when they’re under pressure and I’m not like that at all. I love the games when it’s like, ‘Oh, this is intense.’ Those are my favorite.”
KU’s been in a lot of those this season, from matchups between ranked Big 12 foes to the early-season showdown with No. 2 Florida State, in which KU earned a draw.
That, Watts said, has made this season a lot of fun and also provided validation that the work the Jayhawks did in becoming a Big 12 tournament title team and NCAA Tournament qualifier in 2024 had changed the trajectory of the program.
“I just feel like we’re on people’s radar more than we ever were before. And now it’s like, ‘OK, we have to show up every single game and give everyone our best shot because they’re giving us their best shot. I guess even the Florida State coach, after our game, went up to our coaches and said, ‘Hey, people have talked about you guys, but actually playing you is completely different.”
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Jayhawks currently are unranked but own an RPI of No. 12.
That bodes well for their postseason hopes, but Watts and her teammates also know that they probably need to add another marquee win in the final few weeks to solidify their spot.
KU’s next chance to do just that comes Thursday night, when they play host to No. 24 West Virginia at Rock Chalk Park.
After that, it’s home against Cincinnati on Sunday, road games at BYU and Utah the following week and the regular season finale against No. 21 Colorado in Lawrence on Oct. 30.
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
