Women's Soccer | 11/4/2026 6:41:00 PM

Match 20
(5) Emporia State Hornets (9-5-5, 5-3-4 MIAA)
vs. (1) #21 Washburn Ichabods (14-1-3, 9-2-3 MIAA)
Friday, November 6, 2026 • 3:00 p.m •  Wichita, Kan. • Stryker Sports Complex
Series History: WU leads 20-19-5 • Last Meeting: ESU 1, #18 WU 1 (10/11/26)

MIAA TOURNAMENT TUSSLE
Emporia State heads to Wichita and the Stryker Sports Complex to take on top-seeded Washburn in the MIAA Semifinals.

LAST TIME VS THE ICHABODS
Emporia State and Washburn met on the ESU Pitch on October 11 as the trend of tightly contested Turnpike Tussles continued. Emporia State struck first, as Ella Favot coverted the Hornets' first chance in the 18th minute to go ahead 1-0. However, the lead was short-lived as Washburn responded within a minute. Neither side was able to find the winner as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. 

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State traveled to Edmond, Okla. for the MIAA Quarterfinals against Central Oklahoma and came away with a 3-0 win. The Hornets scored all three goals in the final 20 minutes, as Aubrey Seltman, Ella Favot and Avery Zimmerman found the back of the net. Emporia State's win marked their seventh straight win in the MIAA Quarterfinals.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year three at Emporia State in 2026 and has a 24-19-13 record with the Hornets.
Davy Phillips is in year ten at Washburn and has a 107-55-21 record with the Ichabods.

TOP GUNN
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year two at the helm of Hornet Soccer and is 24-19-13. 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. The Hornets defeated Central Oklahoma 3-0 on Sunday, which marked their seventh straight win in the MIAA Quarterfinals.  Emporia State is averaging 1.89 goals per match and are led by Ella Favot and Megan Kephart as the two both have nine goals this season. Favot has also added six assists as she was also named the MIAA Offensive player of the Year, while her and Kephart both were named First Team All-MIAA. 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 ICHABODS
Washburn is 14-1-3 on the season and claimed the MIAA Regular Season title with a 9-2-3 mark in the association. The Ichabods had 11 players named to the All-MIAA teams last week, with their leading scorer Avery McCorry being named the MIAA Freshman of the Year. In addition to McCorry who has ten goals, Leah Henke has six goals while Bricelyn Betts and Haley Thomsen have both scored five on the season. As a team, the Ichabods have outscored opponents 42-6 on the season, with one of the six coming against the Hornets back on October 11. 

SERIES HISTORY
Washburn leads the series over Emporia State 20-19-5 with the Hornets and Ichabods playing to a 5-5-2 record over the past five seasons. In those 12 matches, nine matches have been decided by one goal in addition to the draw at the end of the regular season in 2025.

MIAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The 2026 MIAA Tournament is Emporia State's 12th appearance in the tournament in program history, and the Hornets have appeared in nine of the last ten. Emporia State has won their last seven MIAA Quarterfinal matches with their win over Central Oklahoma on Sunday, and will be looking for their fourth appearance in the MIAA Tournament Championship match.