Women's Soccer | 10/22/2026 11:02:00 AM
Matches 16-17
Emporia State Hornets (7-4-4, 4-2-3 MIAA)
at Northwest Missouri Bearcats (3-8-3, 3-4-2 MIAA)
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 • 3:00 p.m • Maryville, Mo.
Series History: ESU leads 17-9-5 •
Last Meeting: ESU 0, NWMSU 0 (11/2/25)
at Missouri Western Griffons (7-3-5, 4-3-2 MIAA)
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 • 1:00 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo.
Series History: ESU leads 13-5-5 •
Last Meeting: ESU 0, MWSU 0 (10/31/25)
Complete Notes in PDF •
The MIAA Network •
Live Stats
SHOW ME SHOWDOWNS
Emporia State soccer heads to the Show Me State for a pair of road matchups in the final weekend of the regular season as the Hornets fight for positioning in the MIAA standings.
LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets played a split weekend that started with a home match against Missouri Southern. Emporia State opened the scoring in just three minutes on Ella Favot's eighth goal of the season. The Lions would score twice on the day, but Peyton Pipes, who scored from a corner and on a penalty decided the game for ESU in the 3-2 win. On Sunday, the Hornets traveled to Warrensburg and fell 1-0 in a tightly contested match against the 25th-ranked Jennies.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year three at Emporia State in 2026 and has a 22-18-12 record with the Hornets.
Marc Gordon is in his ninth year at Northwest Missouri and has a 62-63-24 record with the Bearcats and was the 2021 MIAA Coach of the Year.
Jacob Plocher is in his fourth season at Missouri Western and a 40-17-21 record with the Griffons and helped lead MWSU to a 2025 MIAA Tournament Championship.
TOP GUNN
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year two at the helm of Hornet Soccer and is 22-18-12. Grimley-Gunn spent the previous two seasons as the head coach for Missouri S&T's women's program. In 2023, the Miners had their longest unbeaten streak to start a season since 1997 and made a trip to the GLVC Tournament for the fourth time in school history. Prior to her time in Rolla, Grimley-Gunn was the associate head coach at her alma mater Goldey-Beacom College for four years. In those four seasons, the Lightning went 48-24-4. She was also named a recipient of the "30 under 30" award by the United Soccer Coaches in 2019.Â
A LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 7-4-4 on the season with a 4-2-3 mark in the MIAA as three matches remain on the regular season slate. The Hornets currently have 15 points in the MIAA standings, which is tied for the fourth-most with Central Oklahoma. Ella Favot and Megan Kephart have led the way in attack this season, as Favot has eight goals and six assists for 22 points which is tied for the lead in the MIAA while Kephart has six goals of her own. In addtion, eight more players have scored this season, with Peyton Pipes and Avery Zimmerman recording four and three each respectively.Â
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri is 3-8-3 this season with a 3-4-2 mark in the MIAA as they currently have 11 points in the standings and are in seventh place with three matches remaining. Four different players have scored multiple goals this season, with Julia Coacher leading the way with three goals and a team-high eight points this season.Â
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the series with the Bearcats 17-9-5, with the Hornets going 10-0-2 in the last 12 meetings.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western is 7-3-5 this season after opening unbeaten (4-0-4) through their first eight matches and are currently 4-3-2 in the MIAA with 14 points, sitting just behind Central Oklahoma and the Hornets in the standings. Kendall Knisley is the leading attacker for the Griffons with eight goals and an assist for 17 points which is tied for fourth in the association. Defensively, the Griffons have been stout, allowing just 13 goals on the season with six shutouts along the way.
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State leads the series with the Griffons 13-5-5 with each of the last two meetings ending in draws. The Hornets won the previous four meetings from 2019-2023.
