September 22, 2023 – Emporia State soccer glided past Nebraska-Kearney 5-0 on Friday night as four different Hornets found their way onto the scoresheet.
Early in the match, both the Hornets and Lopers struggled to generate a true attack until Emporia State broke through with the first goal of the match in the 11
th minute.
Following a Nebraska-Kearney free kick in the Emporia State half, the Hornets won back possession and played a long ball past the Loper defense as
Mackenzie Dimarco and
Hadlie Lowe raced into the box. An attempt from Dimarco was partially blocked and directed in front of goal as Lowe finished it off to start the scoring.
Six minutes later,
Aubree Blackman won possession off a Nebraska-Kearney goal kick and played the ball to
Hadlie Lowe at the top of the box. Lowe gained control and turned over her left shoulder before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom left and past the Loper goalkeeper to double the Emporia State advantage.
Just over three minutes later, just before the 20-minute mark, the Hornets scored their third goal of the match. After an Emporia State throw-in,
Karlie Kanaga recorded her first career assist as she played a cross into the box that eventually fell to
Ali Coash who scored her first career goal.
The final goal of the first half would come in the 23
rd minute on a goal from
Hannah Woolery at the top of the box. Following a throw-in near midfield, the ball came to Abby
Bachman who played a long ball to
Hannah Woolery who gained control about 25 yards from goal. Woolery was able to turn the defender and take a right-footed shot that found the bottom left corner as Emporia State took a 4-0 lead over the Lopers.
Emporia State would tally five more shots before the halftime break, but the match remained 4-0.
In the first half, the Hornets outshot the Lopers 15-1 with seven attempts on goal.
Following the halftime break, the match was much more even between the Hornets and Lopers but Emporia State was able to keep the Lopers off the board despite eight shots in the second half.
The fifth and final goal for the Hornets came in the 73
rd minute as
Hannah Woolery and
Mackenzie Dimarco connected. Woolery won the ball in midfield and played a ball over the top of the Loper backline as Dimarco raced in on goal before slotting the ball past the Nebraska-Kearney goalkeeper for her third goal of the season and 64
th goal of her career.
Hannah Woolery's assist is her 22
nd of her career.
Emporia State held Nebraska-Kearney scoreless over the final 17 minutes for their second shutout of the season.
Hadlie Lowe scored two goals on six shots and three attempts on goal.
Mackenzie Dimarco scored one goal on seven shots while
Ali Coash and
Hannah Woolery each scored one goal.
The Hornets will return to action on Sunday, September 24 as they take on Fort Hays State to open MIAA action. The match is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Emporia HS.
