Women's Soccer | 10/31/2026 10:22:00 AM

Match 19
#5 Emporia State Hornets (8-5-5, 5-3-4 MIAA)
at #4 Central Oklahoma (10-5-3, 7-2-3 MIAA)
Sunday, November 1, 2026 • 1:00 p.m •  Edmond, Okla.
Series History: UCO leads 11-4-3 • Last Meeting: UCO 1, ESU 0 (10/4/26)
Complete Notes in PDF • The MIAA Network • Live Stats

BACK AGAINST THE BRONCHOS
Emporia State earned the fifth seed in the MIAA Tournament, and will travel to Edmond for the second time this season for a matchup with the Bronchos.

LAST TIME VS THE BRONCHOS
Emporia State took on Central Oklahoma in early October, and in a match that featured 33 combined shots from both sides, the Bronchos pulled out the narrow win. UCO scored shortly after the halftime break to win 1-0.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State hosted Rogers State in a midweek regular season finale from the ESU Pitch. The visiting Hillcats led the Hornets at halftime with a goal in the 23rd minute, but in the second half, Emporia State scored three goals on 13 shots on their way to a 3-2 win. Megan Kephart scored twice to put Emporia State ahead 2-1, and after an RSU response, Hailey Gancarz converted a header in the 71st minute to secure the win.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year three at Emporia State in 2026 and has a 23-19-13 record with the Hornets.
Amel Muhamedagic is in his third year at Central Oklahoma and has a 32-18-12 record with the Bronchos. 

TOP GUNN
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year two at the helm of Hornet Soccer and is 23-19-13. 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. 

A LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Emporia State went 8-5-5 in the regular season with a 5-3-4 mark in the MIAA to finish fifth in the standings. Emporia State is averaging 1.83 goals per match and are led by Ella Favot and Megan Kephart as the two have eight and nine goals respectively this season. Favot has also added six assists as her 22 points which tied for the most in the MIAA this season. Both Favot and Kephart were named First Team All-MIAA, with Favot taking home the MIAA Offensive Player of the Year award. In addtion to Favot and Kephart, four more players earned All-MIAA honors with Peyton Pipes being named to the Third Team, while Terra Rybuck, Sammy Quiroz and Avery Zimmerman are earning honorable mention. 

SCOUTING THE BRONCHOS
Central Oklahoma went 10-5-3 during the regular season and went 7-2-3 in the MIAA on their way to the fourth seed in the MIAA Tournament. The Bronchos have eight players with multiple goals this season, while Sami Allen has three goals and four assists for a team-high ten points. Emma Nicholas earned Second Team All-MIAA honors, while Kaitlyn Cotton and Megan Wilson both earned Third Team recognition. Maddie Ortwein has been the primary goalkeeper for the Bronchos and has an .813 save percentage, with six solo shutouts and one more combined.

SERIES HISTORY
Central Oklahoma is leading the series with Emporia State 11-4-3 and each of the last two meetings have gone in favor of the Bronchos 1-0.