14th RANKED EMPORIA STATE SOCCER TO OPEN SEASON IN TEXAS

Women's Soccer | 8/23/2022 2:09:00 PM

Games #1+2
#14 Emporia State Hornets (0-0-0, 0-0-0 MIAA)
at West Texas A&M Lady Buffs (0-0-0, 0-0-0 LSC)
Friday, Aug. 26 • 7:00 p.m. • Canyon, Texas
Series Record: First Meeting Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stats • Live Stream

at St. Edward's Hilltoppers (0-0-0, 0-0-0 LSC)
Sunday, Aug. 28 • 1:00 p.m. • Austin, Texas
Series Record: First Meeting Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stats • Live Stream
Up Next: at UMary
Friday, Sept. 2 • 3:00 p.m. • Bismark, N.D.

LONE STAR SHOWDOWNS
Defending MIAA Tournament Champion Emporia State opens the season with a trip to Texas for a pair of games against West Texas A&M and St. Edwards. It will be the start of one of the most challenging seasons in the 21 year history of the program.

LAST SEASON
In 2021, the Hornets finished with a program record 19 wins and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament while hosting their first NCAA Tourney matches. In addition to a school record in wins, Emporia State took home their first MIAA Tournament Championship with a 1-0 victory over Central Missouri. Mackenzie Dimarco scored 20 goals and tied the program record of 38 career goals on her way to All-American honors last fall.  Hannah Woolery was named first-team All-Region while Ashlyn Lakin picked up second-team and Aislinn Hughes earned third-team All-Region honors.  
 
THE COACHES
Bryan Sailer is 94-75-25 in his 11th year at Emporia State. He is the winningest coach in program history and sixth winningest coach in MIAA history. He has a career record of 153-98-27 that includes coaching four years at the community college level. He has led the Hornets to eight straight .500 or better regular seasons, four straight MIAA Tournaments and their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. This is his first meeting with both West Texas A&M and St. Edwards.
Chad Webb is 120-88-20 in his 13th season at West Texas A&M. This is his first meeting with Emporia State.
Nick Cowell is 216-52-26 in his 16th season at St. Edwards. This is his first meeting with Emporia State.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Emporia State is ranked #14 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll and returns 51 of 59 goals scored from last season. All-American Mackenzie Dimarco is tied with Brandie Booth for most goals all time in Hornet history. Hannah Woolery returns in midfield for the Hornets after leading the team with eight assists and earning first team All-Region honors. All-MIAA defender Joanie Westcoat returns and looks to anchor the back-line.

ABOUT WEST TEXAS A&M
The Lady Buffs are picked to finish third in the Lone Star Conference and are receiving votes in the national poll. Offensively, they will be led by preseason LSC Offensive Player of the Year Asha James who scored 14 goals and added three assists last year.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the first meeting between the Hornets and the Buffaloes.

ABOUT ST. EDWARD'S
The Hilltoppers were picked to finish seventh in the LSC preseason poll. St. Edwards will be led by forwards Katie Gay and Alyssa Garcia. Gay earned All-Conference honors last year, recording six goals including three game-winners. Garcia was named to the LSC All-Freshman team last fall.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first meeting between the Hornets and the Hilltoppers.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will travel north next week for a pair of matchups in North Dakota. The Hornets will first take on UMary on Friday, Sept. 2 and Minot State on Sunday, Sept. 4.

IN THE RANKINGS
Emporia State is ranked #14 in the United Soccer Coaches Association Preseason Poll. The Hornets are the third-highest ranked team in the Central Region to begin the season. In addition to their highest preseason ranking in program history, Emporia State also comes in second in the MIAA Coaches Preseason Poll.

BUILDING BLOCKS
Emporia State's 19 wins last season is a school record for the most wins in a season. It is also the third straight season the Hornets have posted double-digit victories. They have been in the MIAA Tournament five straight seasons and made their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons. Emporia State has finished the regular season with at least a .500 record for eight straight seasons.

HORNET HEADLINERS
Three Emporia State returning starters combined to earn six MIAA Soccer Athlete of the Week awards last season.
Mackenzie Dimarco picked up three Offensive Player of the Week awards, with the first two coming in the month of September and her third coming in the final week of the season after two goals and an assist against Nebraska-Kearney in the regular season finale.  
Joanie Westcoat was twice named the Defender of the Week, first in September when she helped the Hornets allow just one goal in two games while recording an assist. Her second Defender of the Week honor came in October after recording a goal and an assist in the Hornets' 5-3 comeback victory over Northeastern State.
Hannah Woolery was named MIAA Offensive Player of the Week in September after recording two goals, including the game winner in a 2-1 Hornet victory over Washburn in the Turnpike Tussle.

RECORD BOOK
Since 2018 Emporia State has set seven individual single season school records and moved into the top five in three other categories.  Hornets have also set nine individual career records.
Last season Mackenzie Dimarco tied the MIAA single season record with 20 goals scored in 23 matches. She holds Emporia State single season records for points, points per game, goals, goals per game, game winning goals, shots attempted, and shots per game.  She is the career record holder for goals, game winning goals, points per match, goals per match, shots, and shots on goal.
Hannah Woolery tied the career record for assists and ranks second in single season assists, third in single season assists per match and shots.
Aislinn Hughes ranks third in both single season and career game winning goals.
Joanie Westcoat is fifth in single season assists after recording six last season.

MAKE YOUR MARC
Forward Mackenzie Dimarco (Sr./Pleasant Hill, Mo.) was named Second Team All-American last season while also earning First-Team All-MIAA and All-Central region honors. Last season, she ranked third in the nation in total goals, fifth in game winning goals and in shots on goal per game, and seventh in goals per game and total points. She had her second career hat trick against Neb.-Kearney on the way to the second of her three MIAA Offensive Player of the Week awards. Her three Offensive Player of the Week awards were tied for the most in the MIAA last season. She tied the MIAA record of 20 goals in a season set by Jada Scott of Central Missouri while playing in 23 matches in 2018. Her 38 career goals are tied for eighth all time.
She was the MIAA Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Central Region selection in 2019.  She had a school record 18 goals and 40 points scored on her way to MIAA Freshman of the Year honors as well.  She also has the Emporia State single season records for points per game, goals per game, shots attempted and shots per game as well as the career mark for game winning goals, shots and shots on goal.
She is a four-time MIAA Offensive Player of the Week in her career at Emporia State.Off the pitch she was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District performer with a 3.69 GPA in rehabilitation.

WOOLY BULLY
Midfielder Hannah Woolery (Sr./Overbrook, Kan.) earned First-Team All-MIAA and First-Team All-Region honors last season. She had a goal and two assists against Central Missouri and had two multiple goal games last season, with the second of those two coming in a 2-1 victory over Washburn which earned her MIAA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
She holds the Emporia State career record for assists and ranks second in single season assists, third in single season assists per match and shots.
She was an honorable mention All-MIAA performer as a freshman in 2019.
Off the pitch she was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District performer with a 3.93 GPA in English.

WARM COAT
Defender Joanie Westcoat (Sr./Lee's Summit, Mo.) was named Third-Team All-MIAA last season. She tied for fifth in the MIAA and on the Emporia State single season assist list with six in 2021. She scored three goals last season including the game-winner during the Hornets' comeback 5-3 victory over Northeastern State.She helped lead a Hornet defense that allowed an MIAA low 7.9 shots on goal per match this year, a full two shots fewer than the second place team.
She was twice named Defender of the Week in the MIAA last year.

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM
Midfielder Aislinn Hughes (Gr./McPherson, Kan.) was named third-team All-MIAA in 2021 after earning honorable mention in 2019.  She was second in the MIAA with six game winning goals and was fourth with 11 total goals last season.  She had the game tying and game winning goals in Emporia State's 4-3 double overtime win against Central Missouri and then scored the game winner in the MIAA Championship match against the Jennies.

IN THE CLASSROOM
Emporia State had a total of 18 of the 23 student-athletes on their roster named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll for their work in the classroom last year, highlighted by three Hornets being named MIAA Scholar-Athletes.  

MIAA NOTES
2021 was the first season in MIAA history that both participants in the Tournament Championship Match were nationally ranked in the Top 25.

CLEAN SHEATS
The Hornets four consecutive shut outs last season (3-0 over NSU, 2-0 over NWMSU, 1-0 over UCM, 2-0 over NWMSU) tied the school record of four which was set in 2013 (2-0 over WU, 2-0 over Newman, 1-0 over SBU, 0-0 tie with UCM)