Golden Gonzaga Goal Fells K-State in Overtime

MANHATTAN, Kansas – In one of the most exciting matches played on the grounds of Buser Family Park, which included K-State coming back from a pair of one goal deficits in the final 15 minutes of the match, the Wildcats dropped an overtime decision to Gonzaga on Thursday night, 3-2.

"I thought we played very, very well," said K-State head coach Mike Dibbini. "Well enough to win the game against a very good team. I saw a lot of things in our team that I haven't seen in the past, the desire to want to win, and the desire to sacrifice and want to score some goals. I'm very, very happy with that and now if we can continue to take the momentum of that desire into the next matches. I think this team showing is showing some signs."

After Gonzaga (5-2-0) converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute to take a 2-1 lead, Kansas State (1-4-2) battled back from the brink. With 10 seconds remaining in the match, junior Christina Baxter held possession of the ball on the right side of the field.

Baxter beat her defender and sent a last gasp cross in front of the Gonzaga frame. Senior Laramie Hall beat her defender in the air and redirected the ball with her forehead past Gonzaga goalkeeper Isabel Jones with four seconds remaining in regulation.

"Honestly, I saw Christina get the ball out wide and if you've been watching any of our past games she drops dimes every single time, it's a perfect ball and we haven't finished any of them yet," Hall about the lead-up to her goal.

"We watched film earlier this week and talked about just the right timing and really showed us what that looked like. So I saw her get the ball and thought 'okay I've got to pull back,' because if I'm there when the ball gets there I'm not going to have an angle and so I just pulled back and saw it coming and I literally saw it and just closed my eyes and went down. Then I saw it go into the back of the net so I guess I opened my eyes back up, I don't know."

The goal was the latest regulation goal scored in program history and the second latest all-time, only outdone by a Brookleynn Entz overtime game-winner scored in the 95th minute against Colorado State on September 17, 2017.

With the goal, Hall is tied for the team lead this season with two. The product of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, ranks tied for third in program history for career goals with five.

Gonzaga would win the match in overtime on its second penalty kick of the night, as Madeline Gotta converted for the second time from the spot. This was the second overtime loss for K-State in program history, as the Wildcats are 1-2-8 all-time overtime matches.

The teams went scoreless in the first half. K-State registered an 8-6 edge in total shots and a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal. Gonzaga secured a 5-3 lead in corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.

In the second half, Gonzaga broke the deadlock in the 79th minute. Sophia Braun led India Jencks to an open spot behind the K-State defense to the left of the goal. Jencks finished the play in the right side of the K-State goal.

The Wildcats squared the match in the 85th minute. Hall played herself past the Bulldogs' defense. Before reaching the end line, Hall crossed a ball to Baxter who bashed the equalizer into the net.

"I was kind of looking around and I was like 'Oh, okay,' and then I just started sprinting," said Baxter about her goal. "I was like 'I'm going to get up there, I'm going to score this goal if she can't.' So, I was there for her, and she made an awesome cross.""

The goal by Baxter was the third of her career and the first since scoring against Oakland on August 19, 2018. Baxter ranks tied for ninth in program history for career goals with three.

Gonzaga was awarded the first of their two penalty kicks in the 87th minute after a Bulldogs' corner kick. Gotta finished the opportunity for the 2-1 lead.

Overall, the Bulldogs held a 21-15 advantage in total shots and a 10-5 lead in shots on goal. Gonzaga also topped the Wildcats in corner kicks, 11-4.

Kansas State will continue its five-match home stand on Sunday afternoon, as the Wildcats host Tulsa at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon's match is Junior Wildcats Club Day on National Batman Day. The exclusive pregame event for Junior Wildcat Club members will include concession discounts, the opportunity to participate in pregame activities and get autographs from Willie Wildcat. The first 100 kids 12 and under will receive a Powercat Batman mask.

To purchase tickets, contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

Sunday's match will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and available on 101.5 KROCK in Manhattan and for free at kstatesports.com.

What They Said
MIKE DIBBINI, K-STATE HEAD COACH
On the overall performance…
"I thought we played very, very well. Well enough to win the game against a very good team. I saw a lot of great things. I saw a lot of things in our team that I haven't seen in the past, the desire to want to win, and the desire to sacrifice and want to score some goals. I'm very, very happy with that and now if we can continue to take the momentum of that desire into the next matches I think this team is showing some signs."

On what he learned about the team tonight with the way they responded...
"Yeah, I think they're slowly turning the corner, now we just gotta continue to do well on both sides and stay focused on those little details but it was a good performance on our part."

On the goals from Christina (Baxter) and Laramie (Hall)...
"Desire and sacrifice to will the team when we need it the most and like I said I haven't seen that in a long time. I've seen us play really good soccer and create chances but the desire I haven't seen and it was very fun to watch tonight."

On Emma's (Malsy) performance...
"I thought she made some big saves for us. I thought she played well. She came out well, she was a presence you know she was stuck on an island on two PK's and obviously the one goal but I think we just have to rebound and be ready to go for Sunday."

On if it is tougher to lose by giving up two penalty kicks...
"It's always tough. When you work really, really hard and have that desire to win and almost win that game. It's just like a free throw, they got a free throw, a couple free throws and it's tough."

CHRISTINA BAXTER, JUNIOR
On her goal to tie the game at 1…
"From what I can remember we played it out wide and Laramie got the ball and I think the defense tried to play it back and then we played it back and Laramie, just was a killer, and went for it and her speed got her to the box and I was like 'I have to be there for her because if she doesn't have the angle then I'm gonna be there to finish it for her.'"

On being surprised on how open she was on the play…
"I was kind of looking around. I was like 'Oh, okay,' and then I just started sprinting. I was like 'I'm gonna get up there, I'm gonna score this goal if she can't.' So, I was there for her, and she made an awesome cross."

On the team's reaction to Laramie Hall's header with 4 seconds left in regulation…
"The clock was counting down. I heard '10 Seconds' and I was like 'Okay, I have to get this ball in because this might be our last chance.' I just served it in and I saw Laramie get her head on it and I started screaming my head off. It was awesome. I'm really proud of how we played tonight and we showed the composure that we have and the strength that we have going forward."

On the team's sense of urgency…
"I'm so proud of my team. It took all of us to do that and we all were on the same page and it takes all of us to be on the page to do it, and we did it and I'm really proud of us."

On balancing pride in how the team played vs. accepting the defeat…
"Coach just told us to keep our heads up and focus on the next game. I think tonight we can learn from a lot of things but we also did a lot of great things tonight. We know that we can compete with a very good team and we're just gonna be ready for Sunday."

EMMA MALSY, SENIOR GOALKEEPER
On her thoughts immediately following the loss…
"There's definitely a lot of heartbreak there. But at the same time, I've never seen this team respond the way that we responded today, especially when we went down 2-1 with what, 8 minutes left? And then in the last 10 seconds getting that ball out wide to Tina (Christina Baxter) and then having Laramie just bust it to the goal and get the job done. I've never seen that from this team and I think that is definitely something to build on going forward. Even though we lost this game, obviously, in probably one of the worst ways possible. I think that we can still hold our heads up high knowing that this is exactly what we want to get out of games. I think that even though we lost, we have momentum. I know it contradicts itself there, but we did so many good things in this game and I think that there's no way we can walk off this field with our heads hanging low because everyone worked for each other and everyone worked really hard today."

On blocking out the controversial calls…
"For me personally, I'm just trying to control what I can control. What I can control is my performance. I can control my attitude. I can control my leadership on the field. I can control the way that I try to uplift my teammates. That's what I can control, and that's also what all of us as teammates can control. I think focusing on that is so much more positive than focusing on the things that aren't going our way. So a PK, multiple fouls within shooting distance. I think that's something that's definitely a lot harder to do than just saying it."

On defending the two penalty kicks…
"The first one I was like 'I'm gonna have to just try to react and hopefully it goes my way.' Obviously it was a really good finish on her part, so kudos to her. But on the second one I kind of knew that she'd probably stick to going the same way, so that's why I tried to sell out as best I could going to my left and unfortunately it was just a well-placed shot and I couldn't get there.

"I had a feeling by the way she lined up that she'd probably be going back to my left again, her right. I didn't know the range, whether it'd be high or low. That's kind of where you're like 'Well, kinda can do in between and hope for the best.'

On her thoughts on her performance…
"I'm very proud of myself. I think that I needed to come out when I was called upon and I think that by making big saves for this team I think that that kind of helped shift our momentum. At least for me, it was a confidence boost for me and I know that I proved to my teammates that they, like, they know that I have their back, and I know that they'll always have my back. For me, if I were to judge my performance tonight, I would say that I did fairly well."

LARAMIE HALL, SENIOR
On the goal with four seconds left...
"Honestly I saw Christina get the ball out wide and if you've been watching any of our past games she drops dimes every single time, it's a perfect ball and we haven't finished any of them yet. And so, we watched film earlier this week and talked about just the right timing and really showed us what that looked like. So I saw her get the ball and thought 'okay I've got to pull back,' because if I'm there when the ball gets there I'm not going to have an angle and so I just pulled back and saw it coming and I literally saw it and just closed my eyes and went down and then I saw it go into the back of the net so I guess I opened my eyes back up."

On her eyes being closed during the header...
"It was hitting the back of the net when I opened my eyes and I was like 'let's go' but it was definitely intentional so don't write that it wasn't intentional."

On where this ranks in her soccer experiences...
"It's probably up there just because we didn't get the win obviously, but I thought that was really a well earned team goal and to get a goal in the last however many seconds we had left I think that shows a lot to really go for it and so for her to cross it perfectly and for me to run in for whoever got the ball to her I think it was just a lot of hard work and it wasn't given to us."

On coach's assessment of the strong urgency and passion...
"I definitely agree, I think from being out on the field I noticed from myself and from others that the way that we talked to each other was very much like 'let's go you can do it, you can get it' and I don't think it's been like that in the past. It hasn't been bad but maybe it just hasn't been there and so I think just being on each other in a positive, urgent way I know that that helped lift me and I'm sure it helped lift the other girls too. So I definitely felt it."

On finding motivation after going down 2-1...
"I honestly think I just remember us coming into the huddle and saying 'hey let's smile' and that sounds crazy but it makes you feel better and so it's like, hey that was ridiculous. You know they got a PK. It wasn't anyone's mistake and so I think it was like we've been playing great this whole time that doesn't change anything, let's just keep going, act like it didn't happen, keep doing what we were doing because we were being successful."

On the laughing in the huddle after the game...
"I think it was just, if I remember right, it was just saying you know what we earned our goals, we did our dues on this field and that's how it ends. I think it's kind of comical honestly because, it just almost feels like we are earning everything and then other teams are kind of given stuff and it's like you know what you've got to laugh at it and you know we played lights out now we've gotta do it again on Sunday. So it's serious but you've just got to laugh it off and let's go to the next one I think is kind of what we thought."

Next Event

Team Stats

Laramie Hall

Christina Baxter

Brookelynn Entz

Carly McConville

Players Mentioned

Christina Baxter

Laramie Hall

Players Mentioned

Christina Baxter

Laramie Hall

Kansas State University Athletics