Kansas State University Athletics
A Special Night, But ‘On to The Next One’
Aug 15, 2025 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
It is the 10th year of Kansas State soccer. They were giving away white K-State soccer rally towels to fans. On the videoboard, they were showing selfies of K-State fans wearing white t-shirts as part of a White Out. They were playing music. Kids danced in the stands. Then as time ticked down on the pregame festivities, and shadows grew longer on the brilliant green grass at Buser Family Park, and the K-State players finished warmups, and the game officials began to stretch, there was Colleen Corbin, standing on the sideline, taking it all in.
So much time had seemingly passed since Corbin's hiring as K-State head coach on December 2, and as she assembled her first coaching staff, and as she assembled her first team — 27 players from all over and carrying various levels of experience — and as the team bonded over soccer during a summer tour of Italy, and as the team, eager to learn and eager to set a standard for this whole thing, the whole season ahead, and the opportunities to come. Yet the field, man, seeing the field, the green grass, and the purple Powercat at midfield beaming against the evening sun, it fully set in that this was real, and that in a matter of eight months — boom — a new era was officially born in the Little Apple.
"Today was really, really busy, actually," Corbin said. "The day was chaotic. We had a lot of things going on. We have some really special recruits on campus, which is probably a good thing. I didn't have time to sit back and think. That was good. I had a really good jog with the team in the morning, spent a lot of time with my staff, which was nice. My parents are here, so that's really special to me. My husband is here. I wasn't anxious or nervous. I was just excited to get out on this field and experience this crowd and this energy and show our fans what our brand is now. It was a really fun day."
People came. People came to see how this would all unfold. It had been a while since the Wildcats had won a match. The Wildcats had lost five straight matches, had a 13-match winless streak, and failed to win any of their previous six home matches. Oh, they tried. They always tried. But in the first nine years of the program, the Wildcats never had a winning record. K-State fans wanted to cheer. They always wanted to cheer. They wanted to see a couple goals. Some energy. And they wanted a win.
Before the season, Corbin said that she knew they would win games, that they would lose games, that there would be disappointments and letdowns, but she vowed there would be pure joy, elation and excitement. She wanted opponents to feel "uncomfortable" and for her players to carry a "relentless mindset" and "have a heightened work rate, energy and competitiveness that people will enjoy seeing." She wanted her players to shine. She wanted there to be confidence, composure and creativity on offense. And perhaps, very important, the Wildcats believed that they could win with their press, and be a high-pressing team, and be a team to be taken seriously.
The first starting lineup of the Corbin era included goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing, defenders Lily Hendrickson, Emerson DeLuca, Reece Walrod and Jordan Losey, midfielders McKinnan Braswell, Paige Dickson and Anna Pagano, and forwards Rilyn Rintoul, Andra Mohler and Allison Marshall.
Then the moment came, the first moment to this Corbin era, and at 6:31 p.m., Corbin, wearing a white hat and purple t-shirt, was introduced as K-State head coach moments before her first game in Manhattan. The crowd erupted. Corbin high-fived staff, big smile, and pumped her fists above her head.
There was plenty to cheer about despite K-State and Oral Roberts going scoreless in the first half. The Wildcats seemingly spent a majority of their time in Oral Roberts territory. They were the aggressors. They were the fighters. They showed athleticism. They showed speed. The only thing that didn't happen? They didn't get the ball into the goal.
That changed. And at the 60:44 mark, and at exactly 7:56 p.m., junior forward Rilyn Rintoul thumped a shot from eight yards with her left foot. Oral Roberts goalkeeper Eirini Manoukaraki appeared to make the save on the attempt, but the ball popped into the air and the backspin carried the ball across the goal line. The crowd rose to its feet and cheered, and music blared, and Rintoul raced to the sideline and embraced her teammates, and there was Corbin, leaning forward, nodding, and clapping hard for the effort — and the result.
K-State 1, Oral Roberts 0.
Rintoul, a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, will have a story to tell. Last season, she played in just two matches and suffered a season-ending ACL injury at Portland State on August 22, 2024. This came after she played in 13 matches with nine starts as a freshman. Now she made an emphatic statement that she is back.
"This is really special to come out and score in the home opener," Rintoul said. "It's awesome. The culture has changed a lot. It's really special to me. I'm happy to help the program any way I can."
A little more than 10 minutes later, K-State struck again at the 70:59 mark. Sophomore forward Hannah Palmer played a cross from the right flank into the Oral Roberts' 18-yard box. The ball deflected directly to redshirt freshman Alix Regier, who blasted her shot into the net. The goal by Regier came in her first collegiate appearance and was her only shot attempt of the night. The music blared, players danced, and fans cheered once again.
K-State 2, Oral Roberts 0.
"It's just so much fun," Regier said. "With the new coach, we're having so much fun every day. The culture is just amazing. I'm so excited to score a goal for us. I'm so happy for her. She's an amazing coach, and I love getting to play for her."
The Wildcats seethed with momentum. They seemed as fast toward the end of the match as they did in the opening five minutes. Fans didn't leave. They cheered. And they cheered some more when the clock reached all zeroes. Victory. Win. The streaks are over. These Wildcats will go as fast as their legs will carry them. And it won't be long before they get their second test. Portland State visits at 11 a.m., on Sunday at Buser Family Park.
But for now, celebrate the start, the start of this Corbin era, the first victory, which came eight months after her arrival, a victory that had been building for a while, and an important feat that certainly won't be the last.
In the end, the Wabash Cannonball blared, "CATS WIN!" beamed across the videoboard, and Corbin hugged her staff, while the players mobbed one another on the field.
Afterward, Corbin was recognized for her first win, and everyone stood and clapped as the Wabash Cannonball blared again, and the players formed a circle on the field, and they called Corbin to join. As soon as Corbin reached the circle, players showered her with water from Gatorade bottles. And Corbin did a little dance.
Then they huddled up.
Corbin said, "On to the next one."
The first game of the Corbin era was one to remember, one we might refer to later in the season, a demonstration of hope and determination — and togetherness among these players, who love their new coach.
"They wanted so badly to get a result and play for the crowd and do the right thing," Corbin said. "It's showing up, competing, having a mentality, a fight. It was never about me. It's never about me. It's always the team.
"It's always about this place being special."
It's a new era. It's a new game. And this could be the start of a new K-State.
It is the 10th year of Kansas State soccer. They were giving away white K-State soccer rally towels to fans. On the videoboard, they were showing selfies of K-State fans wearing white t-shirts as part of a White Out. They were playing music. Kids danced in the stands. Then as time ticked down on the pregame festivities, and shadows grew longer on the brilliant green grass at Buser Family Park, and the K-State players finished warmups, and the game officials began to stretch, there was Colleen Corbin, standing on the sideline, taking it all in.
So much time had seemingly passed since Corbin's hiring as K-State head coach on December 2, and as she assembled her first coaching staff, and as she assembled her first team — 27 players from all over and carrying various levels of experience — and as the team bonded over soccer during a summer tour of Italy, and as the team, eager to learn and eager to set a standard for this whole thing, the whole season ahead, and the opportunities to come. Yet the field, man, seeing the field, the green grass, and the purple Powercat at midfield beaming against the evening sun, it fully set in that this was real, and that in a matter of eight months — boom — a new era was officially born in the Little Apple.
"Today was really, really busy, actually," Corbin said. "The day was chaotic. We had a lot of things going on. We have some really special recruits on campus, which is probably a good thing. I didn't have time to sit back and think. That was good. I had a really good jog with the team in the morning, spent a lot of time with my staff, which was nice. My parents are here, so that's really special to me. My husband is here. I wasn't anxious or nervous. I was just excited to get out on this field and experience this crowd and this energy and show our fans what our brand is now. It was a really fun day."
People came. People came to see how this would all unfold. It had been a while since the Wildcats had won a match. The Wildcats had lost five straight matches, had a 13-match winless streak, and failed to win any of their previous six home matches. Oh, they tried. They always tried. But in the first nine years of the program, the Wildcats never had a winning record. K-State fans wanted to cheer. They always wanted to cheer. They wanted to see a couple goals. Some energy. And they wanted a win.
Before the season, Corbin said that she knew they would win games, that they would lose games, that there would be disappointments and letdowns, but she vowed there would be pure joy, elation and excitement. She wanted opponents to feel "uncomfortable" and for her players to carry a "relentless mindset" and "have a heightened work rate, energy and competitiveness that people will enjoy seeing." She wanted her players to shine. She wanted there to be confidence, composure and creativity on offense. And perhaps, very important, the Wildcats believed that they could win with their press, and be a high-pressing team, and be a team to be taken seriously.
The first starting lineup of the Corbin era included goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing, defenders Lily Hendrickson, Emerson DeLuca, Reece Walrod and Jordan Losey, midfielders McKinnan Braswell, Paige Dickson and Anna Pagano, and forwards Rilyn Rintoul, Andra Mohler and Allison Marshall.
Then the moment came, the first moment to this Corbin era, and at 6:31 p.m., Corbin, wearing a white hat and purple t-shirt, was introduced as K-State head coach moments before her first game in Manhattan. The crowd erupted. Corbin high-fived staff, big smile, and pumped her fists above her head.
There was plenty to cheer about despite K-State and Oral Roberts going scoreless in the first half. The Wildcats seemingly spent a majority of their time in Oral Roberts territory. They were the aggressors. They were the fighters. They showed athleticism. They showed speed. The only thing that didn't happen? They didn't get the ball into the goal.
That changed. And at the 60:44 mark, and at exactly 7:56 p.m., junior forward Rilyn Rintoul thumped a shot from eight yards with her left foot. Oral Roberts goalkeeper Eirini Manoukaraki appeared to make the save on the attempt, but the ball popped into the air and the backspin carried the ball across the goal line. The crowd rose to its feet and cheered, and music blared, and Rintoul raced to the sideline and embraced her teammates, and there was Corbin, leaning forward, nodding, and clapping hard for the effort — and the result.
K-State 1, Oral Roberts 0.
Rintoul, a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, will have a story to tell. Last season, she played in just two matches and suffered a season-ending ACL injury at Portland State on August 22, 2024. This came after she played in 13 matches with nine starts as a freshman. Now she made an emphatic statement that she is back.
"This is really special to come out and score in the home opener," Rintoul said. "It's awesome. The culture has changed a lot. It's really special to me. I'm happy to help the program any way I can."
A little more than 10 minutes later, K-State struck again at the 70:59 mark. Sophomore forward Hannah Palmer played a cross from the right flank into the Oral Roberts' 18-yard box. The ball deflected directly to redshirt freshman Alix Regier, who blasted her shot into the net. The goal by Regier came in her first collegiate appearance and was her only shot attempt of the night. The music blared, players danced, and fans cheered once again.
K-State 2, Oral Roberts 0.
"It's just so much fun," Regier said. "With the new coach, we're having so much fun every day. The culture is just amazing. I'm so excited to score a goal for us. I'm so happy for her. She's an amazing coach, and I love getting to play for her."
The Wildcats seethed with momentum. They seemed as fast toward the end of the match as they did in the opening five minutes. Fans didn't leave. They cheered. And they cheered some more when the clock reached all zeroes. Victory. Win. The streaks are over. These Wildcats will go as fast as their legs will carry them. And it won't be long before they get their second test. Portland State visits at 11 a.m., on Sunday at Buser Family Park.
But for now, celebrate the start, the start of this Corbin era, the first victory, which came eight months after her arrival, a victory that had been building for a while, and an important feat that certainly won't be the last.
In the end, the Wabash Cannonball blared, "CATS WIN!" beamed across the videoboard, and Corbin hugged her staff, while the players mobbed one another on the field.
Afterward, Corbin was recognized for her first win, and everyone stood and clapped as the Wabash Cannonball blared again, and the players formed a circle on the field, and they called Corbin to join. As soon as Corbin reached the circle, players showered her with water from Gatorade bottles. And Corbin did a little dance.
Then they huddled up.
Corbin said, "On to the next one."
The first game of the Corbin era was one to remember, one we might refer to later in the season, a demonstration of hope and determination — and togetherness among these players, who love their new coach.
"They wanted so badly to get a result and play for the crowd and do the right thing," Corbin said. "It's showing up, competing, having a mentality, a fight. It was never about me. It's never about me. It's always the team.
"It's always about this place being special."
It's a new era. It's a new game. And this could be the start of a new K-State.
Players Mentioned
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