Meghan Miller laughs almost to the point of tears when she reminisces about her first game as a goalkeeper for Kansas University’s soccer team.

It was an exhibition match against Southwest Missouri State in 2001, and Miller struggled so much that she worried she might not belong at the Division One level.

“My first college game was absolutely horrible,” she said with a laugh. “I subbed in, and the first time I touched the ball I was picking it up out of the back of the net. A ball bounced over my head. I misjudged it.

“I was so nervous, and I just kept thinking to myself, ‘My teammates must think I’m absolutely horrible.’ That was the worst game of my life.”

Miller calls her first three months of college devastating; sob sessions were a daily ritual.

She has had her share of better days since then. Now a junior, the Seattle native is the most dominant goalie in Kansas history.

Under the tutelage of KU goalkeeper coach Kelly Miller — no relation to the current goalkeeper — Meghan Miller has posted the three lowest single-season goals-against averages ever at Kansas. Her 11 shutouts this year are a KU season record, and she also owns the career mark by blanking 19 opponents through three seasons.

She’ll go for one more Friday when No. 16 Kansas plays No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament at Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.

Not bad for someone who wasn’t sure she could cut it.

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“You throw someone into that starting position as a freshman, and that’s tough for a kid to deal with,” Francis said, “but she did a really good job. She matured a lot as the year went on, and by the end she was playing really well.”

Although she now is an All-Big 12 Conference first-team keeper, Miller took her knocks early. From not trusting herself to challenge shooters to losing balls in the sun and misreading bounces, every game included growing pains. By season’s end, however, she’d helped Kansas to its first NCAA Tournament berth in history.

She consistently has improved in the two years since and reached a point where she’s confident that her numbers speak for themselves.

“I’ve just grown up as a person in the past three years,” she said, “and experience-wise, there’s something to be said for experience.”

Freshman defender Holly Gault said Miller has the persona of an on-field coach.

“She’s somebody who’s willing to show you how it’s going to be organization-wise, and she’s talks all the time,” Gault said. “She’s got total leadership and always positive criticism when it’s needed. She’s our heart of our defense.”

Miller will start her 64th straight game Friday, good for sixth all-time at KU. She’ll be the first junior to reach that milestone, and her gutsy play is the reason for it. Miller no longer doubts her instincts. She’s been right too many times to do that.

She got kicked in the eye and knee Sunday against Missouri while taking the ball off an MU forward’s foot, robbing the Tigers of two potential goals.

“Bruises hurt,” Miller said, “But a goal hurts a lot worse.”

Francis has grown to expect that mentality from Miller. It’s a far cry from the frightened freshman of three years ago.

“This year definitely has been her best year,” Francis said, “and you always hope that your players will continue to improve like that. She’ll be better next year than she is this year.”