photo by: Parker I. Johnson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas head coach Nate Lie on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026 at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence.

Making its first trip to Hermann Stadium since Saint Louis brought its 2024 season to a bitter end in the NCAA Tournament, the Kansas soccer team got a different outcome this time.

KU claimed a 1-0 road victory over the Billikens on Saturday afternoon thanks to an 86th-minute goal by sophomore midfielder Marit McLaughlin.

“What a grueling match,” KU coach Nate Lie said in a release. “Saint Louis is a great team, great program, and they really defend their home turf.”

McLaughlin’s late tally came after a series of headed touches: one from Jillian Gregorski at the far post over to Jocelyn Herrema on the opposite side, one from Herrema to center the ball for McLaughlin and then McLaughlin’s own header that hit the crossbar. It bounced straight back to her, and she was able to finish with her left foot for her third goal of the year.

That gave KU a hard-earned result from a match in which it outshot SLU 16-3, including 9-1 in shots on goal.

“We were knocking on the door for quite a bit, but we couldn’t find that result,” Lie said. “Thankfully, in that last five to six minutes, we were able to find one, and those are the kind of goals that decide games like this. But I thought the team did a very nice job, um, seeing the game out the last five or six minutes without conceding many opportunities. I’m really proud of this win. It was always going to be a difficult game.”

Almost immediately after McLaughlin’s goal, KU earned a penalty kick on a handball in the box by former Jayhawk reserve and current Billiken Avery Rasmussen, but SLU keeper Pepper Escher saved Gregorski’s attempt from the spot.

Escher finished with eight saves. Her KU counterpart Sophie Dawe was only needed for a single save, but it was a big one on Hope Kim in the 80th minute to keep the match scoreless ahead of McLaughlin’s winner.

Gregorski took four shots for the Jayhawks, while Herrema and McLaughlin attempted two each.

The match was KU’s first in nine days, and the Jayhawks improved to 6-2 with the victory in their nonconference finale. They will now open Big 12 play at one of Lie’s former schools, Cincinnati, on Friday at 6 p.m. Central time.

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