photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World photo

Kansas super-senior goalie Melania Pasar passes the ball against Vanderbilt during the home opener at Rock Chalk Park on Friday, Aug. 24, 2023.

Kansas goalkeeper Melania Pasar stopped seven shots and her Baylor counterpart Ashlee Zirkel saved five as the Jayhawks and Bears played to a scoreless draw in Lawrence Thursday night.

KU was able to earn a point in its first home Big 12 Conference match of the season following a lengthy road trip, and preserve its unbeaten record at Rock Chalk Park all the while, though the Jayhawks finished the month of September without a win (0-3-4 in seven matches). They now sit at 3-3-6 on the year and 0-2-2 in Big 12 play.

Mackenzie Boeve and Maree Shinkle led all players with four shots each; they put three total attempts on target, all late in the second half, including the final shot of the game in the 89th minute. Pasar had to leap to block a long-distance shot from Hannah Augustyn in the 12th minute, then charge out to knock the ball away from an attacker shortly after halftime on two of the Bears’ more threatening opportunities.

Tyler Isgrig was the lone Baylor player with more than two shots, as the Bears produced offensive chances for a variety of athletes. They did not, however, put a shot on goal in the final 18 minutes Thursday. In all, Baylor had 16 shots to KU’s 20.

“There’s a lot of positives, I thought we played really well,” KU coach Mark Francis said in a press release. “Some of the things we did in possession, and we defended really well, and I thought in the run of play by far we had the better chances.”

The Jayhawks have another challenge coming up Sunday when they host No. 21 Texas in the final matchup between the two teams as conference foes. The Longhorns are in a run of relatively poor form at 1-2-2 in their last five matches, four of which came at home.