photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas head coach Nate Lie celebrates with the fans after defeating TCU during the Big 12 Tournament final at CPKC Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

A sophomore year can go one of two ways, to hear Kansas soccer coach Nate Lie tell it.

In one case, a sophomore can keep moving forward, can “kick on,” as Lie says: “You go from (a) freshman, getting your feet wet, steady player, ups and downs, and then sophomore year they look like they have ownership, they look like they have leadership and they take that huge step. I’ve seen that.”

And then on the other hand a player can take a significant step back.

“Sometimes it’s easier to come in without expectations,” Lie said, “and you just play more free, and then as you step up in expectation, are given more responsibility, there is a trend over time that that can weigh on players and they have a tough year.”

The 2025 season will be the sophomore year for quite a few of Lie’s key contributors from last season — goalkeeper and newly minted captain Sophie Dawe and midfielders Jillian Gregorski and Kate Langfelder, among several others.

It is also the sophomore year for Lie’s coaching staff, one that vastly exceeded all expectations in its first year. Picked to finish in a tie for 12th in the Big 12 Conference, the Jayhawks came in sixth, then won the Big 12 Championship title to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Now it’s time for the coaches and players to work to avoid the classic sophomore slump.

“We have players that definitely have the experience, that we counted on and called on them in the biggest moments, and … we lost a fair share of talent and leadership as well,” Lie said. “The dynamic of our leadership group is different, and we need new players to step up and kind of assume new roles.”

In general, the core of the memorable 2024 team is back. It starts upfront with the forward duo of senior Lexi Watts and redshirt junior Saige Wimes, who were so key to implementing Lie’s preferred high-pressure style, forcing blunders by opposing teams and capitalizing with high regularity. (For example, Watts created a mistake by TCU’s goalkeeper and was brought down in the box, leading to the game-winning penalty kick in the Big 12 tournament championship.)

After a slow start to last year, Watts, a Lenexa native, tallied nine goals in her final 16 matches and finished the season as KU’s leading scorer. Lie said she has the opportunity to be “the tip of the spear” and that conference- and nationwide honors are within her reach (she was first-team all-league last year).

“She’s a talented player and one that has the ability to change games, one that has the ability probably to help elevate us to the next level,” Lie said. “She’ll have a target on her back to some extent, but if that’s what teams choose to do, I think and I hope that we have the firepower to punish them other ways.”

Those ways include Wimes, who has had a successful summer with Minnesota Aurora FC in the USL W League, as well as Gregorski, who kept up her strong scoring pace from her first year during the spring. Oregon transfer Livvy Moore also brings what Lie has called a new “talent and versatility in the final third.”

Wimes wasn’t the only Jayhawk with a productive summer.

“One thing that I think is unique about our program and differentiates us a bit is the amount of ownership we give our players on how they spend their summer,” Lie said. “We kind of buck convention in not bringing them back early … and the reason we do that is to provide them the opportunity to grow and get experiences that help them in the future.”

That could be in the realms of academics or career development, or for some players it could mean additional opportunities to grow on the field. Dawe and Moore, for example, had the chance to train with and play for KC Current II (including in the 7-on-7 The Soccer Tournament).

“Our basis in making this decision is that we trust the group, we trust their professionalism,” Lie said. “We think that they’re aligned with the goals of the program, that they’ll show up on day one recharged, fit and ready to go.”

Dawe, who also went to an under-20 U.S. national team camp, will be one of the most important Jayhawks in 2025. She seized the starting job in goal as a redshirt freshman and ranked among the best in the Big 12 with 0.86 goals against average.

KU lost a couple notable players in the midfield to graduation, but “skeleton key” Langfelder is back after starting every game as a freshman, along with other contributors like Gregorski, Lauren Wood, Emika Kawagishi and Emily Tobin.

The greater uncertainty for the Jayhawks is along the back line, even though two of the captains are there: Caroline Castans, a strong defensive presence and also a threat up the wing, had an outstanding season and was another first-team all-conference pick, and Brooke Otto returns after missing the conclusion of her junior season due to injury.

Olivia Page is also back. However, Mackenzie Boeve graduated and Assa Kante transferred to Georgia. KU’s coaching staff placed an emphasis on recruiting center backs in the spring portal.

“It was a different experience for us,” Lie said, “where in the past, when we first started, it felt like we had to build depth, build quality, at most if (not) all positions, whereas in this transfer portal we were pretty laser-focused on the back line and boosting our depth and our ability to compete at center back specifically.”

Fiona Skwierawski, who joins KU after three years at Minnesota (a team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament), also has experience starting at outside back. Maya Mathis, who comes from UConn, was hampered by injury in each of her first two collegiate seasons, Lie said.

“We made a pretty short list, and we feel really thankful that we were able to get two players at that position in our top tier where there weren’t that many options available,” Lie said.

The Jayhawks won’t have to depend nearly as heavily on freshmen in 2025 as they did in Lie’s first campaign, but Lie has previously expressed optimism about certain skills forward Faith Johnston and midfielder Marit McLaughlin provide that KU previously lacked. They both enrolled early and will be joined by the rest of their class this fall.

KU opens its season at home on Thursday against Missouri State, a team that dominated its conference last season. The Jayhawks have five nonconference home matches this year, including against “maybe the best program in the country” in Florida State on Aug. 28.

“I’m still disappointed in our program’s performance at home last year,” Lie said, “and it’s been a point of emphasis that we have to perform better and strengthen our home-field advantage.”

As it was last year, the slate is constructed in such a way that KU could potentially position itself for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament — which was ultimately rendered irrelevant in 2024 by the Big 12 title.

“That’s something that I spoke about year one, and I don’t know if people remember, I said it day one and I said it in preseason, that I don’t know how realistic this is or isn’t, but when it came down to the end of the season, had we not won that Big 12 championship game I think we would have been right on the bubble,” Lie said. “And I think it was good for our team to experience that because then they understand how important every game is during the season.”

Big 12 play begins on Sept. 18 at Oklahoma State. When the regular season concludes, the Big 12 tournament is no longer taking place at CPKC Stadium and will instead be held at the campuses of TCU and Baylor.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas forward Lexi Watts celebrates scoring the game-winning goal against West Virginia during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Arun Halder/Kansas Athletics

Kansas’ Saige Wimes controls the ball during a spring game against Central Missouri on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas goalkeeper Sophie Dawe punches the ball away against Texas Tech during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas midfielder Kate Langfelder tries to split three defenders against TCU during the Big 12 tournament final at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas defender Caroline Castans reaches out to block a pass from an opponent against West Virginia during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas junior Brooke Otto crosses the ball in against Tulsa at Rock Chalk Park, Thursday, August 22, 2024 in Lawrence.