EMPORIA STATE HITS THE ROAD FOR FINAL TWO REGULAR SEASON MATCHES

Games 17 & 18
Emporia State Hornets (7-7-2, 5-4-0 MIAA)
at Washburn Ichabods (9-6-1, 5-4-0 MIAA)
Friday, Oct. 28 • 6:00 p.m. • Yager Stadium • Topeka, Kan.
Series Record: WU leads 14-8-4 Last Meeting: at ESU 1, WU 1 (Sept. 20, 2016)
at Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (6-7-3, 3-4-2 MIAA)
Sunday, Oct. 30 • 1:00 p.m. • Cope Stadium • Kearney, Neb.
 Series Record: UNK leads 4-2-1 Last Meeting: UNK 1, at ESU 0 (Sept. 23, 2016)
Up Next: MIAA Tournament • Wed., Nov. 2, 2016 • TBA

FINAL COUNTDOWN
Emporia State travels down the road for the second Turnpike Tussle of the season against Washburn on Friday, Oct. 28 at 6:00 p.m. They will then meet Neb.-Kearney on Loper turf on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Emporia State soccer team moved back above .500 in the MIAA with a 2-1 win at Missouri Western.
Tanna Benefiel got the Hornets on the board just before half. Her direct kick from 22 yards out found the net with just 15 seconds left in the opening period. In the 69th minute Benefiel found Nicole Dietrich in the box and Dietrich gave Emporia State a 2-0 lead. Missouri Western got on the board with 6:29 left in the match when Cassidy Menke scored off a blocked shot to make it 2-1. The Hornets then were able to kill the clock over the next six and half minutes, allowing just one shot by the Griffons in that time. Yadira Rivera had eight saves in the goal.
 
THE COACHES
Bryan Sailer is 39-51-18 in his sixth year at Emporia State and is the winningest coach in program history. He has a career record of 98-74-20 that includes coaching four years at the community college level. He is 5-2-3 against Washburn and 2-4-1 against Neb.-Kearney.
Chris Jones is 16-17-6 in his second season at Washburn. He is 1-1-1 against Emporia State.
John Maessner is 32-44-14 in his fifth season at Neb.-Kearney. He is 3-2-1 against Emporia State.
 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 7-7-2 on the season and 5-4-0 in the MIAA. They are tied for fifth in the MIAA with three other teams with two games remaining. They have out-scored their opponents 20-12 on the season. They have been shutout 1-0 in six of their seven losses this season. There have been 11 different players to score a goal on the season for the Hornets while three of the top five scorers are freshmen. Yadira Rivera and Astrid Buttner Costa have combined for six shutouts in goal. 
 
SCOUTING THE ICHABODS
Washburn is 9-6-1, 5-4-0 in the MIAA.  They are 6-1-0 at home and have been shutout twice in their last four games.
 
SERIES HISTORY - TURNPIKE TUSSLE
This will be the 27th meeting between Washburn and Emporia State in the soccer version of the Turnpike Tussle. The Ichabods lead the all-time series 14-8-4, but the Hornets are 5-2-3 over the last ten matches.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST WU
The first Turnpike Tussle of the season resulted in a 1-1 tie at the ESU Pitch in late September. Washburn out shot Emporia State 7-3 in the first half. The Hornets took control of the second half, taking eight shots and six corner kicks. The single goal for the Ichabods came at the 32:39 mark. The Hornets scored their goal at the 57:23 mark when Emily Haselwood converted on a corner kick from Maddie Taylor. The only shot taken in overtime was by Emporia State. Rivera had seven saves in the game, five coming in the second half. Emporia State was 2-2-2 on the season after the last match up against Washburn.
 
SCOUTING THE LOPERS
Neb.-Kearney is 6-7-3 and 3-4-2 in the MIAA. The Lopers are 4-4-1 at home and are 3-0-2 in their last five games.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the eighth meeting between Emporia State and Neb.-Kearney. The Lopers lead the all-time series 4-2-1.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST UNK
Emporia State fell 1-0 to Neb.-Kearney in the last minute of regulation earlier this season. Throughout the game, the Hornets out shot the Lopers 21-12 and earned eight corner kicks to their one. Rivera had four saves on the day.
 
UP NEXT
Emporia State needs to win at least one game this weekend to guarantee a spot in the MIAA Tournament starting on Wednesday, Nov. 2 on campus sites.
 
D IT UP
Emporia State has given up just 12 goals in 16 games, and three of them came while playing a person down, while playing the second most minutes in the MIAA this year.  They are ranked fourth in the league with a 0.79 goals against average.  The Hornets have posted six shutouts on the season with three different keepers taking a part in them.
 
KEEP IT OUT
Keeper Yadira Rivera (Sr./Emporia, Kan.) missed three matches with a knee injury before returning to action against Central Missouri. She is ranked third in the MIAA in saves per match, fourth in save percentage and goals against average, and ninth in shutouts.  Her three shutouts this year give her 24 in her career.  She is a three time All-MIAA performer and was named MIAA Goalkeeper of the Year as a sophomore in 2014. She has 350 career saves and a 0.99 goals against average in 64 career matches.
 
IT'LL COST YA
Keeper Astrid Buttner Costa (So./Asuncion, Paraguay) played in three and a half matches in goal and has not given up a goal while the Hornets are playing with a full team. She played the final 58 minutes at Northeastern State and gave up three goals while Emporia State was playing a person down.  Since then she has gone 251:13 without giving up a goal and became the first Hornet keeper to post three straight shutout wins against MIAA competition in school history.
 
THE DEFENSE RESTS
A large part of the Hornet keeper success rests with the veteran back line of defenders. Defenders Emily Haselwood (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) and Jaide Allenbrand (Sr./Olathe, Kan.) along with midfielder McKenzie Koch (Sr./Shawnee, Kan.) have been a big part of the Hornet defense over their careers. 
Haselwood was named MIAA Defender of the Week when the Hornets posted shutouts of Southwest Baptist and Missouri Southern following a clean sheet against Central Oklahoma. She has started every match since she set foot on campus, except for her red-shirt season last year.
Allenbrand has also started every game she has suited up for at Emporia State while missing the 2014 season with an injury. She is a two-time All-MIAA selection, earning third team honors in 2015 and second-team recognition in 2013.
Koch has one assist on the year with a total of nine goals and six assists in her career.  She has started all 71 games since setting foot on campus in 2013.  She was the Hornets leading scorer with five goals and an assist on her way to honorable mention All-MIAA honors as freshman.
 
YOUNG ONES
Nine of the ten Hornets that have scored a goal are either freshmen or sophomores. 
Maria Walden (So./Wichita, Kan.) has two goals on the season. She was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick last year. She has started all 31 matches she has played in since coming to Emporia State from Bishop Carroll HS.
Tiffany Jones (So./Tulsa, Okla.) has ten starts and has played in all 16 games this year with a goal and an assist. She has not missed a game at Emporia State since coming here after starting for four years at Broken Arrow HS.
Shelby Keyes (So./Shawnee, Kan.) had two assists against Missouri Southern and has started all 32 matches since she arrived at Emporia State. She was a first-team All-Class 5A player at St. James Academy.
Jacki Martinek (So./Topeka, Kan.) has started 11 of 16 games this year with a goal at UC-Colorado Springs. She started 17 of 18 matches last season for the Hornets. She was a part of back to back Class 4A State Championship teams at Topeka Hayden HS.
Savannah Hallier (So./Gardner, Kan.) has played in nine games this year. She scored a goal in just six minutes of action against Missouri Southern. She was the leading scorer in Gardner-Edgerton HS history.
Maddie Taylor (Fr./Manhattan, Kan.) has two goals and three assists for seven points on the year.  She was a first-team All-Class 6A performer for Manhattan HS.
Kennedy Hoffman (Fr./Shawnee, Kan.) is tied with Haselwood and Benefiel for the team lead with three goals, all coming in the last five out of six matches. She earned second-team All-Class 5A honors for Mill Valley HS last season.
Tanna Benefiel (Fr./Wichita, Kan.) has scored three goals for the Hornets, tying with Haselwood and Hoffman, this year. She is tied with Maddie Taylor for a team high three assists. She led Maize HS to an 18-1-1 record as a senior.
Nicole Dietrich (Fr./Ft. Collins, Colo.) scored the game winning goal against Ft. Hays State in overtime. She was a first-team All-Front Range League selection as a senior at Ft. Collins HS.
Elizabeth Andersag (Fr./St. Pankratz, Italy) has started three matches and scored a goal at UC-Colorado Springs.