November 13, 2025 – Emporia State soccer fell 1-0 against Central Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon at the Stryker Soccer Complex in the MIAA Semifinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
From the opening kickoff, Central Oklahoma jumped onto the front foot, as they served a ball towards
Mackenzi Goen in goal, and she was forced to put it above the crossbar for a corner kick. The pressure continued, especially through the first 11 minutes, as Goen made all three first half saves in that time frame.
Emporia State's first opportunity, which double as their only short of the first half, came in the 27th minute.
Avery Zimmerman found her way into the box along the right side, and forced a save by Avery Bass. Over the final 18 minutes of the first half, the Bronchos would add one more shot to their total, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 entering the halftime break.
In the first half, Central Oklahoma held an 8-1 shot advantage over the Hornets.
Following the break, the Hornets picked up the first shot of the half, as
Avery Zimmerman's second attempt of the game was blocked in the 48th minute. After the shot from the Hornets, the flow of the match shifted back to the Bronchos. Central Oklahoma added two corners and pair of shots that missed high before scoring the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute.
The Bronchos earned a free kick, and the ball was played in by Rebekah George and directed home by Kaitlyn Cotton to make the score 1-0.
The Hornets would apply the pressure over the final 30 minutes and registered three shots on goal but were unable to pull level as Emporia State fell 1-0 against Central Oklahoma.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State was outshot 12-8 in the match but was equal with the Bronchos on shots on goal with four each.
Mackenzi Goen made three saves, all in the first 12 minutes of the match.
NOTES
Emporia State finished the season 9-6-5, the first winning season under head coach
Jane Grimley-Gunn.
Emporia State returned to the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 2023, and won their first match of the postseason for the sixth consecutive time with their win over Washburn in the MIAA Quarterfinals.
