MANHATTAN, Kansas (Randy Peterson) – Kansas State crossed off another first in its inaugural season, as the Wildcats registered the first win at the K-State Soccer Complex with a 2-0 decision over South Dakota on Sunday afternoon.
K-State improves to 3-5-3 this season, while South Dakota falls to 1-9-1. This was the fourth shutout of the season for the Wildcats and the third resulting in a win.
“It is a great feeling to have this W and finally win at home,” said head coach Mike Dibbini. “They have been working really hard. This was a tough weekend for the fact that we played two overtimes on Friday and finding our legs in this game especially in the first half did not come very fast. It took a nice halftime pep talk for them to come out fired up in the second half, because in the first half we looked like we were in concrete the whole half. We just were not dynamic and we were not moving the way we are capable of moving, but we responded and won.”
Kansas State had four shots on goal in the first half but were unable to put one into the South Dakota net. The Coyotes recorded three shots on goal in the opening frame, but K-State redshirt junior goalkeeper Miranda Larkin saved all three. On the afternoon, Larkin finished with five saves and pocketed her fourth shutout of the season.
In the second half, K-State had a different energy which helped the Wildcats score the first goal of the match. Sophomore forward Tatum Wagner made an aggressive play towards the South Dakota net and was pulled down 25 yards from goal resulting in a direct kick for K-State.
Sophomore forward Kim Braddock stepped forward to take the kick and navigated the South Dakota wall and beat the Coyotes’ goalkeeper Sydney Hardin in the 55th minute. This was Braddock’s first career collegiate goal and her second shot attempt as a Wildcat.
In the 60th minute, Wagner extended the K-State lead to 2-0. South Dakota played a slow pass back to Hardin, but Wagner raced towards the ball and tapped it past Hardin into the middle of the 18-yard box. Wagner fended off a defender and sent a low shot into the empty net from eight yards out. Wagner leads the Wildcats with three goals this season and has nine points on the year.
South Dakota almost pulled to within one in the 86th minute. A corner kick by the Coyotes found the foot of Courtney Stodola inside the 18-yard box and she sent a low shot towards the right post. K-State sophomore defender Morgan Egan was occupying the space and cleared the ball off the goal line to preserve the shutout.
Overall, Kansas State held the edge in total shots, 13-11, and both teams tied with six shots on goal. The Wildcats registered a season-high nine corner kicks, including six in the first half.
Kansas State will conclude its four-match home stand on Friday, Sept. 30 against UMKC at 7 p.m. The match will be Senior Day for the Wildcats, as senior Abbey Fiser will play her final home game of her K-State career. The match will be broadcast on COX Channel Kansas and K-StateHD.TV. An audio broadcast of the match will be available on 101.5 K-Rock in Manhattan and for free at www.kstatesports.com.
