Women's Soccer | 9/1/2026 5:00:00 PM

Matches 3-4
Emporia State Hornets (1-0-1)
vs Rockhurst Hawks (1-0-1)
Wednesday, September 2 • 5:00 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • ESU Pitch
Series History: RU leads 6-2-1 • Last Meeting: ESU 1, RU 0 (9/3/21)

at Southwestern Oklahoma Bulldogs (0-0-2)
Saturday, September 5 • 1:00 p.m. • Weatherford, Okla. • SWOSU Soccer Field
Series History: SWOSU leads 1-0-2 • Last Meeting: ESU 1, SWOSU 1 (8/31/23)

SECOND STRAIGHT SPLIT TRIP
Similar to the first week of the season, Emporia State soccer will split week two between the ESU Pitch and the road. The Hornets host Rockhurst before traveling to take on Southwestern Oklahoma.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets opened the season on the road against Drury and scored the opening goal of the season off the foot of Megan Kephart before the Hornets and Panthers played to a 1-1 draw. In the Hornets' home opener last Saturday against #21 Maryville, the visitors went ahead midway through the first but the Hornets found their way back, scoring the next three goals courtesy of Ava Huston, Megan Kephart and Ruby Ryan on their way to the 3-2 win at the ESU Pitch.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year three at Emporia State in 2026 and has a 16-14-9 record with the Hornets.
Greg Herdlick is in his 28th season at Rockhurst an has a 279-168-55 career record with the Hawks.
Mark Persson is in year 18 leading Southwestern Oklahoma and has a 166-113-46 record with the Bulldogs.

TOP GUNN
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year two at the helm of Hornet Soccer and is 16-14-9. 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 9-6-5 in the 2025 season, and made their fourth trip in the past five seasons to the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament. To start off the 2026 campaign, the Hornets have scored four goals in their first two matches from three different goalscorers. Megan Kephart has scored in each of the first two matches, while Ruby Ryan and Ava Huston both scored in Emporia State's 3-2 win over #21 Maryville at the ESU Pitch last time out. The Hornets have several returners in the starting lineup through the first two matches that have played more than 160 minutes thus far, including Ella Favot, Avery Zimmerman, Taylor McFalls, Sammy Quiroz, Aubrey Seltman and Madeline Bracy. Bracy and Zimmerman each have an assists, while Quiroz racked up a pair of assists against the Saints. In goal, Terry Rybuck has played all 180 minutes through the first two matches and has tallied eight saves.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Rockhurst went 8-6-4 last season with a 7-4-3 mark in the GLVC and have opened the 2026 season similarly to the Hornets, with a 1-0-1 mark in their first two matches. The Hawks played a pair of MIAA opponents, drawing with Nebraska-Kearney in the opener before defeating Fort Hays State 3-1 over the weekend. Rockhurst has scored their four goals from four different players, one of which being Caitlyn Smith who scored eight goals a year ago for the Hawks. In goal, Sydney Schnarr has 12 saves through the first two matches.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Southwestern Oklahoma went 11-5-3 with a 7-2-3 GAC record last season and have opened the season with a pair of draws. The Bulldogs opened with a 2-2 draw against Colorado Christian where they scored with three minutes remaining to grab a point despite being down a player, and then drew 1-1 against St. Edwards on the road. Like Rockhurst, Southwestern Oklahoma has had a unique goalscorer for all three of their goals so far, which includes Brailee Epp and Kinsey Geasland who have seven shots each through two matches. In goal, Emma Young has started both matches and has six saves on the young season.