October 1, 2023 – Emporia State took an early lead and never looked back as they defeated Rogers State 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
From the opening kick, the Hornets got off the front foot as they were able to grab the lead with an opening goal in the first minute.
Hannah Woolery gained possession of the ball and attacked down the wing before firing a cross towards the top of the box that fell to
Angela Palmer. Palmer settled the ball and ripped a shot past the Rogers State goalkeeper into the bottom right corner as Emporia State took a 1-0 lead within the first minute.
The second goal for Emporia State came in the 12
th minute. Rogers State held possession in their own half until a pass in the midfield was intercepted by
Angela Palmer as she played the ball ahead to
Mackenzie Dimarco. Dimarco was able to beat the defender for pace before poking the ball past the goalkeeper to double the Hornet advantage to 2-0.
Emporia State continued to be on the front foot throughout the remainder of the first half and their third goal would come with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.
Following a foul by Rogers State in their defensive half,
Paige Putter took the free kick quickly and played a long ball into the box that found
Haley Sparks. Sparks controlled the ball before taking a shot that beat the keeper towards the left side of the goal and despite a near goal-line clearance by the Hillcats, found its way into the net for the third goal of the match as Emporia State went into the halftime break leading the Hillcats 3-0.
In the first half, Emporia State outshot Rogers State 11-4 and earned three corner kicks.
After halftime, Rogers State was able to generate seven shots to just four shots from the Hornets, but the Emporia State backline held firm and kept the Hillcats off the scoreboard as they posted their second consecutive shutout and their third in the past four matches.
Angela Palmer and
Haley Sparks each recorded their first goal of the season while
Mackenzie Dimarco scored her fourth of the season and 65
th of her career.
Hannah Woolery and
Angela Palmer each recorded their second assist of the season and Woolery extended her career record to 23 assists while
Paige Putter tallied the first assist of her career.
Emporia State will return to action on Friday, October 6 as they travel to Maryville, Mo. to take on Northwest Missouri. The match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
