November 19, 2023 – Emporia State Soccer overcame an early goal from Bemidji State as the Hornets took down the Beavers 2-1 to advance to their second consecutive Central Region Championship match.
Despite the wind and rain on the ESU Pitch Sunday afternoon, Emporia State managed a 17-5 shot advantage with an 8-4 advantage on shots on goal.
Early in the match, the Hornets applied pressure to the Beaver backline, outshooting Bemidji State 4-1 in the first eight minutes of the match.
Bemidji State withstood the early pressure from the Hornets before breaking through with the opening goal in the 18
th minute. The Beavers earned a corner kick that resulted in a goal for Kenzie Harer after a loose ball in the Emporia State box.
Over the next 10 minutes, Emporia State continued to attack, registering four shots with a pair of attempts forcing a save from the Bemidji State goalkeeper.
Emporia State's goal to tie the match came just under 30 minutes in on a strike from
Hannah Woolery.
Following a goal kick from Bemidji State, the Hornets won possession as
Angela Palmer laid off a pass to
Hannah Woolery. Woolery gathered and ripped a shot from 30 yards that beat the keeper into the top of the goal, knotting the score at 1-1.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, Emporia State registered a 5-1 shot advantage but the match remained deadlocked at 1-1 entering the halftime break.
Emporia State continued to pressure Bemidji State in the second half, despite generating just one shot in the first 30 minutes of the period.
The breakthrough for the Hornets came in the 77
th minute off the right foot of
Mackenzie Dimarco.
A throw-in for the Beavers deep in their own half resulted in a turnover as Emporia State gained possession with
Paige Putter in an attacking area. Putter was able to escape pressure from a nearby midfielder before laying a pass to Dimarco at the top of the box. Dimarco took a right-footed shot that found its way into the bottom right corner, beating the diving reach of the Bemidji State goalkeeper as the Hornets took a 2-1 lead.
Over the final 13 minutes, Emporia State withstood the Bemidji State attack which resulted in just one attempt on goal that was secured by
Mackenzi Goen as the Hornets clinched the 2-1 win over the Beavers.
As a team, Emporia State outshot Bemidji State 17-5 and 8-4 in shots on goal.
Hannah Woolery scored the first goal for the Hornets, her fifth of the season, on an assist from
Angela Palmer, her third of the season. The second goal was scored by
Mackenzie Dimarco, who extended her Division II best mark to 22 goals on the season. On the Dimarco goal,
Paige Putter recorded her second career assist.
Emporia State improves to 14-5-4 on the season and have now won 10 straight matches, the longest streak in program history. The Hornets advance to the Central Region Championship to take on Washburn in a match that will be played in Ashland, Ohio on December 1.
NOTES:
With her goal in the 30th minute,
Hannah Woolery moves into the top ten for career points in MIAA history with 89.
Mackenzie Dimarco scored her 83rd career goal, which is tied for 16th in Division II history.
