When Livvy Moore moved from the midfield to wing back during the latter part of the 2025 Kansas soccer season, no one expected it to be the catalyst that unlocked her game or the Kansas offense.
But here we are, coming down the homestretch of the 2026 season, during which Moore has played her new position for the entirety and made a pretty big impact in the process.
Entering last week, Moore, who five days ago was named Big 12 Defender of the Week, sat tied for the nation’s lead in assists with 11. She’s one of five Power 4 players in the top 14 in the country, and, in a very natural way, has more than doubled her production from last season.
“Would I have envisioned her leading the country in a new position that she’s never played? Probably not,” KU coach Nate Lie said after the Jayhawks’ 1-1 tie against BYU last week in Lawrence. “But I’d always bet on her to figure it out.”
Figure it out she has, in large part because there’s not much she can’t do on the soccer pitch.
Gifted with both feet, in extremely good shape and as passionate and intense as any player the Jayhawks have, Moore has utilized the opportunities given to her at the wing back position to become a bona fide weapon in the Jayhawks’ attack.
But the best part about her 11 assists in 17 starts is that she has rarely gone into a game trying to get an assist.
“I think she’s just playing the game the right way,” said teammate Jordan Rowan.
Although Lie never quite thought that Moore would be among the nation’s leaders in assists — she scored her first goal of the season on Sunday in a massive road win at TCU — he did see something special in her when the season began.
“As soon as I saw her in the first week of training strike a ball with both feet, consistently, with different textures, I was like, ‘Whoa. She’s got something there,’” Lie recalled. “I know she has wicked service.”
Kansas soccer's Livvy Moore during a pair of recent KU home matches at Rock Chalk Park. [Kansas Athletics photos]
Moore attributes that part of her game to her love of her teammates. She grew up playing both basketball and soccer. Yes, she was a point guard on the hardwood. And she said she loved to pass so much on the court that she often hit her friends and teammates in the face with her wild passes.
Her passes are not so wild on the soccer pitch. But they do put a ton of pressure on opposing defenses and they are effective. Because the wing back position is a bit of a hybrid that blends the responsibilities of a traditional fullback with that of a wing attacker, she has the freedom to move from box to box and can jump up into the attack at any time, provided she’s always able to fall back defensively if needed.
“I love running,” she said with a smile, further proving that this is the position for her. “The position is really fun. It allows me to get service opportunities and I find joy in those moments. But just getting to be on this team in any position is really a privilege and I love this group of girls and playing under this coaching staff.”
Moore’s love for this team developed quickly. She transferred to KU from Oregon before the 2025 season and fell in love with her new home. She scored four goals and recorded five assists during her debut season with the Jayhawks and was one of nine KU players to start all 25 matches.
She again has started every match so far this year, and her driving force has been her love for her teammates and being a Jayhawk.
“My success comes from the team’s success,” she said. “An assist is not a goal, so unless it goes in the back of the net, it doesn’t count as a goal, so that credit goes to all of our forwards. Having great teammates on the end of those is pretty cool, and when we’re scoring we’re doing well and that’s really all I want.”
It shows and, whether she’s scoring a goal, assisting one of her teammate or coming up with an important stop on the back end, those around her know that she’s going to do everything she can to help the Jayhawks win and be successful.
“Livvy has a work ethic that’s unmatched,” Lie said. “No one’s gonna surpass her. We have other people on our team who probably match her, but no one works harder.”
Added Rowan: “She’s just a great player. She’s always proving herself every day at practice and she has energy that no one else has and can just get more confidence every time she’s involved in a goal.”
The Jayhawks (12-3-2 overall, 6-1-2 in Big 12 play) are still in contention for the Big 12 title and battling to host an NCAA Tournament match in a few weeks.
Next up, they’ll face Houston on the road at 6 p.m. Friday before returning home for the regular season finale and this year’s Senior Night on Thursday, Nov. 5 against Texas Tech.
Kickoff for that one is slated for 6 p.m.
