Playing its 2017 home opener in front of a sell-out crowd at the K-State Soccer Complex, the Wildcats netted a pair of goals to improve its home field winning streak to three with a 2-0 decision over Omaha on Wednesday night.
“We had a lot of good opportunities both halves,” said head coach Mike Dibbini about the win. “They had a good game plan in terms of sitting in and defending us deep. We had to figure out ways to break them down. It was not pretty but we will take the W.”
According to K-State Athletics, Kansas State (2-1-1) struck early for the second straight game, as sophomore forward Katie Cramer played a ball to the right near corner for junior forward Tatum Wagner to run onto. Wagner took a touch and crossed the ball across the Omaha goal mouth and found freshman forward and Papillion, Nebraska, native Christina Baxter’s head for the goal at 7:20 of the opening half.
“It was a great ball from Tatum Wagner,” said Baxter about her goal. “She just looked, saw me in the six and I kind of just got my head on it. It was a great ball from her, it was perfectly placed, perfectly timed, she could not have done it better.”
The goal was the first of Baxter’s K-State career and the first goal on a header in K-State history. Wagner and Cramer each registered their first assists of the season on the play.
Baxter had an opportunity to add a brace later in the first half. She found herself in front of the net on a long ball but her touch was deflected into the crossbar and found Omaha goalkeeper Haley Johnson’s hands for the save. Baxter finished the night with three shots, including two on goal.
K-State’s attack was slowed in the second half and limited to just eight shots compared to 15 in the opening half. The Wildcats best opportunity came at the 85:47 mark of the match, as a Cramer corner kick found the foot of senior Jaclyn Means.
Means let loose with an attempt from the top of the 18-yard box, but it was deflected down to the foot of junior Morgan Mauck. Mauck calmly gained possession from 15 yards out and fired a low shot to the lower left corner finding the back of the net and giving K-State a 2-0 lead. The goal was Mauck’s first this season and the second of her K-State career.
Defensively, Kansas State senior goalkeeper Miranda Larkin notched her third shutout this season recording three saves. Larkin improved her current shutout streak to 221:39. Larkin now owns eight career shutouts at K-State.
Overall, Kansas State was able to register a school record 13 shots on goal while piling up 23 total shots. Omaha tallied eight shots with three on goal.
Kansas State closes out the weekend on the road, as the Wildcats travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face Northern Iowa on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday’s match will be available on 101.5 KROCK
