Women's Soccer | 9/25/2026 3:03:00 PM

TEST DOWN IN TAHLEQUAH
Following four straight home matches, the Hornets will hit the road for the first time in 22 days as they take on Northeastern State on Sunday afternoon.

LAST TIME OUT
The Hornets played host to Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State in their first two MIAA matches of the season. Against the Lopers, Emporia State got goals by Avery Zimmerman, Rylie Washington and Amy Paver on their way to a 3-1 win. Emporia State then took on the Tigers and matched their scoring total from the UNK match, as Avery Zimmerman scored another while Ella Favot scored twice to lead the Hornets to a 3-0 win, their first shutout of the season. Favot picked up an assist against the Lopers along with her two goals on Sunday and earned MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week honors.

ABOUT THE COACHES
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year three at Emporia State in 2026 and has a 20-16-9 record with the Hornets.
Chase Wooten is in year 17 as the head coach at Northeastern Stateand has a 171-90-35 record with the Riverhawks. 

TOP GUNN
Jane Grimley-Gunn is in year two at the helm of Hornet Soccer and is 20-16-9. 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 is 5-2-1 through their first eight matches of the season and have started 2-0 in the MIAA after a pair of wins last week over Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State. The Hornets have also slid into the latest United Soccer Coaches regional rankings, taking the #10 spot in this week's iteration. Emporia State has scored three or more goals in each of their last four matches which has seen Ella Favot scored two goals on two separate occasions while Megan Kephart scored her first career hat trick. Favot and Kephart lead the way in attack for the Hornets, with 15 and 11 points respectively this season. Avery Zimmerman, Ava Huston and Amy Paver have also found the back of the net multiple times through the first eight matches. In total, ten players have scored this season for the Hornets. Favot along with Ruby Ryan, Sammy Quiroz and Aubrey Seltman have contributed the most minutes played so far, with Ryan playing all but 24 minutes so far this season. In goal, Andrea Guzman and Terra Rybuck have each started four matches, with Guzman starting the last four over the previous two weeks. She has tallied an .889 save percentage along with her first career shutout on Sunday.

SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS
Northeastern State is 5-2-1 heading into the weekend, and will host #6 Pittsburg State on Friday evening before their matchup with Emporia State on Sunday. The Riverhawks opened the MIAA calendar with a 2-1 win over Northwest Missouri before falling 1-0 against Missouri Western. Annabella Trotter has led the way in attack so far, scoring four goals and adding three assists on the season. Mya Lynn Tran is the other Riverhawk with multiple goals, as she has two goals and two assists on the season. The strength to this point of the season for NSU has been their defense, as they have allowed more than one goal on just one occasion, along with recording a shutout in four of their eight matches entering the weekend.

SERIES HISTORY
Northeastern State leads the series over Emporia State 9-8-2, with the Hornets falling 2-1 in each of the last two meetings. Prior to 2024, the Hornets went 4-0-1 in the five matches since 2021.