SE: K-State Soccer Builds Confidence with Bounce-Back Performance
Aug 24, 2021 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Mike Dibbini was focused on the response.
After K-State Soccer dropped their season opener on Thursday night, the Wildcats were back at Buser Family Park on Sunday with a matchup against Omaha.
"We're good enough, we have enough talent," Dibbini said. "Yes, we may be lacking a lot of players from the past and trying to figure each other out. But when you want to win battles, we did a nice job."
A 1-0 victory over the Mavericks didn't come easy, but it was the kind of win K-State was looking for - one that builds momentum and showcases a squad with enough talent to keep it rolling in 2021.
And that starts with, well, a fast start.
In two exhibition games and the season opener against Weber State, the Wildcats had yet to score before the 79th minute.
The 'Cats were able to grind out a result against South Dakota State and Wyoming, but Dibbini said that better starts are about more than just lighting up the scoreboard.
"I think confidence is a key for our team, and when we score first it gives us momentum, it gives us confidence," he said. "We should've, could've had even more tonight but we learn from that going forward."
The opening goal on Sunday afternoon came in the seventh minute from Texas Tech transfer Marisa Weichel, who scored her first goal as a Wildcat by tapping home a loose ball in the box off a K-State corner kick.
The delivery from the team's set-piece taker, Aliyah El-Naggar, was excellent, before Kenzi Gillispie and Brookelynn Entz got a piece of the corner kick. Weichel provided the finishing touch.
"I obviously kind of blacked out because it happened so fast," Weichel said. "As the season's gone on, South Dakota State we were down 1-0, the last game we came back from 1-0. This was the first game where we had scored the first goal, so it was nice to be on the other side of things. A little sigh of relief."
The assists from Gillispie and Entz also make for some nice bookends in the K-State Soccer record book.
For a freshman in Gillispie, it was the first point of her K-State career. For Entz? Give the program's all-time leader 43 points as she begins her fifth season as a Wildcat.
With 83 minutes left to keep the Mavericks from finding an equalizer, K-State could rely on Peyton Pearson in net.
In her first start of the season, the sophomore faced just seven shots, but in match where the opposing keeper received a red card for twice handling the ball illegally, that steady play was even more valuable.
"Some mistakes happen as a goalkeeper, but you really just have to stay focused the whole time because in one second the ball can be right in front of you," Pearson said. "Really, it's just staying involved in the game continuously, staying involved with your defenders, just making sure everyone is on the same page."
Make no mistake, the Wildcats will face steeper challenges this season, but the win over Omaha came on an August afternoon in Kansas with temperatures hovering in the upper 90's.
The heat forced K-State to rotate their squad throughout the afternoon, and freshmen like Riley Baker, Katy Coffin and Adah Anderson came off the bench to help close out the Mavericks.
"They were amazing. We call them game changers, and they came in and gave us the depth," Dibbini said. "They lifted us when it was needed."
K-State will begin a five-game road trip this weekend with a pair of matches in Tennessee, before continuing their travels through Colorado and Indiana.
And the 'Cats are hitting the road with a confidence-building win in their back pocket.
"Stayed organized and stayed disciplined," Dibbini said. "We won each one-on-one battle and communicated very, very well today."
Mike Dibbini was focused on the response.
After K-State Soccer dropped their season opener on Thursday night, the Wildcats were back at Buser Family Park on Sunday with a matchup against Omaha.
"We're good enough, we have enough talent," Dibbini said. "Yes, we may be lacking a lot of players from the past and trying to figure each other out. But when you want to win battles, we did a nice job."
A 1-0 victory over the Mavericks didn't come easy, but it was the kind of win K-State was looking for - one that builds momentum and showcases a squad with enough talent to keep it rolling in 2021.
And that starts with, well, a fast start.
"I think confidence is a key for our team and when we score first it gives us momentum, it gives us confidence."
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) August 22, 2021
🎙 @CoachDibbini
⬇️ #KStateSOC Match Highlights vs Omaha ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vad9U6L0DR
In two exhibition games and the season opener against Weber State, the Wildcats had yet to score before the 79th minute.
The 'Cats were able to grind out a result against South Dakota State and Wyoming, but Dibbini said that better starts are about more than just lighting up the scoreboard.
"I think confidence is a key for our team, and when we score first it gives us momentum, it gives us confidence," he said. "We should've, could've had even more tonight but we learn from that going forward."
The opening goal on Sunday afternoon came in the seventh minute from Texas Tech transfer Marisa Weichel, who scored her first goal as a Wildcat by tapping home a loose ball in the box off a K-State corner kick.
The delivery from the team's set-piece taker, Aliyah El-Naggar, was excellent, before Kenzi Gillispie and Brookelynn Entz got a piece of the corner kick. Weichel provided the finishing touch.
"I obviously kind of blacked out because it happened so fast," Weichel said. "As the season's gone on, South Dakota State we were down 1-0, the last game we came back from 1-0. This was the first game where we had scored the first goal, so it was nice to be on the other side of things. A little sigh of relief."
"We needed this win. We were all working hard, and wanted it."
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) August 22, 2021
🎙 @MarisaWeichel#KStateSOC x #RiseWithUS21 pic.twitter.com/nC9JLRXpp5
The assists from Gillispie and Entz also make for some nice bookends in the K-State Soccer record book.
For a freshman in Gillispie, it was the first point of her K-State career. For Entz? Give the program's all-time leader 43 points as she begins her fifth season as a Wildcat.
With 83 minutes left to keep the Mavericks from finding an equalizer, K-State could rely on Peyton Pearson in net.
In her first start of the season, the sophomore faced just seven shots, but in match where the opposing keeper received a red card for twice handling the ball illegally, that steady play was even more valuable.
"Some mistakes happen as a goalkeeper, but you really just have to stay focused the whole time because in one second the ball can be right in front of you," Pearson said. "Really, it's just staying involved in the game continuously, staying involved with your defenders, just making sure everyone is on the same page."
Make no mistake, the Wildcats will face steeper challenges this season, but the win over Omaha came on an August afternoon in Kansas with temperatures hovering in the upper 90's.
The heat forced K-State to rotate their squad throughout the afternoon, and freshmen like Riley Baker, Katy Coffin and Adah Anderson came off the bench to help close out the Mavericks.
"They were amazing. We call them game changers, and they came in and gave us the depth," Dibbini said. "They lifted us when it was needed."
K-State will begin a five-game road trip this weekend with a pair of matches in Tennessee, before continuing their travels through Colorado and Indiana.
And the 'Cats are hitting the road with a confidence-building win in their back pocket.
"Stayed organized and stayed disciplined," Dibbini said. "We won each one-on-one battle and communicated very, very well today."
Players Mentioned
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