photo by: Sarah Buchanan/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas freshman forward Jordan Rowan dribbles the ball during the first half of the matchup against Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Lawrence.

The Kansas soccer team suffered its third loss of conference play on Sunday afternoon, as the Jayhawks took a 2-0 defeat in a road matchup at No. 18 Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders’ top forward Taylor Zdrojewski scored her ninth and 10th goals of the season, and goalkeeper Faith Nguyen had five saves as Tech outshot KU 13-7.

KU coach Nate Lie said that the wind at the John Walker Soccer Complex in Lubbock, Texas, created a challenge for the Jayhawks.

“We played a very good team today in Texas Tech and this is a very difficult venue to play in,” he added in a video posted on social media. “… I think they can compete for the conference championship. Credit to them for the victory. I keep on, I feel like, saying the same things that goals change games. Big-time players find ways to flip the outcomes of games.”

Zdrojewski’s first strike came on the second shot of the match, and the first on target for either team. She dispossessed Jillian Gregorski in KU’s half, ran to her right and fired the ball to the top corner, where it bounced off the hand of the Jayhawks’ goalkeeper Sophie Dawe and into the net.

“Their first goal was just an excellent, excellent strike from a very good player who scores a lot of goals,” Lie said. “The wind was at her back, it carried, and Soph got a hand on it but it went in the upper 90, so credit to a very high-quality goal.”

Zdrojewski totaled four shots to lead the Red Raiders. That tally was matched by KU senior forward Lexi Watts, who returned after a one-match absence due to injury. Watts came off the bench — freshman Jordan Rowan earned her first career start — and put three shots on target that necessitated saves by Nguyen in the second half.

Nguyen stopped Watts from close range in the 56th minute; soon afterward, Parsons raced out on a breakaway, necessitating a sliding save from Dawe at the opposite end.

Zdrojewski’s second goal came in the 64th minute when she got inside position against Lydia Viets to poke home a cross from Peyton Parsons.

“I was disappointed in our second-half performance,” Lie said. “Part of it is I think it’s hot, we’re tired. Part of it I think was controllable, in keeping the ball in big moments. I think we just got outfought physically. The way that the game was called, Texas Tech was running through things, we weren’t enough, and then the bounces kept going their way, which is what tends to happen when one team’s dictating the physicality.”

KU did put the ball in the back of the net in the 13th minute, when Tech had only freshly made the score 1-0. Caroline Castans curled the ball directly in from the corner flag. But Gregorski was immediately whistled for a foul against Nguyen that allowed the ball to get there in the first place.

The Jayhawks fell to 8-3-2 and 2-3 in Big 12 play with the loss.

“There’s no shame in losing to a great team on the road, but we thought and still think that we missed a really good opportunity here,” Lie said. “It’s one that we can win, and, as the program that we’re trying to build, should expect to win. Now we’re in that stretch run.”

KU has just six league games left to play, beginning on Friday night at Iowa State. The Cyclones have lost four straight matches, including three against teams that have also beaten KU: Tech, Baylor and TCU.