Just a week after beating in-state rivals Kansas 2-1 in overtime, the Kansas State soccer team (6-6-1, 1-2-1 Big 12) managed to pull out a 1-1 draw against No. 9 West Virginia (8-2-2, 2-0-1 Big 12) on Pride Night.
West Virginia came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, constantly attacking the K-State back line, as they would for most of the evening.
In the eighth minute of play, a West Virginia corner kick landed in the middle of the six-yard box, where a scramble ensued. The ball landed at the feet of West Virginia’s Lilly McCarthy and she put it past the K-State defense, giving the Mountaineers an early lead.
K-State’s attacking game plan for the night appeared to be long passes to catch the West Virginia defense off-guard, which paid off in the 18th minute when senior midfielder Brookelynn Entz lobbed the ball from deep in K-State territory over the West Virginia defense to junior forward Kyler Goins.
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Goins sprinted past the West Virginia back line and took a left-footed shot just outside the 18-yard box as defenders began to swarm her. The ball sailed over the head of the West Virginia goalkeeper into the top-right corner to tie the game up for the Wildcats.
Full Send @b_entz8 & @kylergoinss#KStateSOC x @NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/AOtg34jlXK
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) October 8, 2021
“I can’t even explain it. It was just pure happiness. I think my team really deserved this,” Goins said to K-State Athletics. “It was a great ball by Brookelynn. She read it so well. We’re two great players, and Brookelynn reads me so well on the field. I’m really glad she played that ball. She saw that I took off, and I’m glad I finished that.”
The match went back-and-forth as both teams searched for the game-winning goal, but neither defense would budge. K-State’s sophomore goalkeeper Alaina Werremeyer had an incredible performance, ending the night with nine saves, one short of her career-high.
K-State head coach Mike Dibbini was proud of the effort his team displayed after coming away with points for the first time in school history against a ranked opponent.
“They came out, they stuck to the game plan, they executed it in so many different ways. Yes, that’s a really, really good team, but you know what, we had chances and couldn’t be prouder of that effort,” Dibbini said to K-State Athletics. “It was a total team effort defensively. We were good. We gave up an early goal, but we bounced back. We stayed in it, and it was a great result for us.”
Final Score
Tonight's result marks the first draw against a top-25 opponent in program history! #KStateSOC pic.twitter.com/79F11uDIc3
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) October 8, 2021
The Wildcats will look for more points against a ranked opponent at 1 p.m. on Sunday when they take on the No. 23 Baylor Bears on Junior Wildcat Day. Sunday’s match will also be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
