Kansas State University Athletics
Sunday, August 17
Manhattan, Kan.
11 a.m.
Kansas State University
2-0-0, 0-0-0
2
vs
0
Portland State
0-1-1, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Portland St.
0
0
0
Kansas St.
0
2
2
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
Photo by: Austin Van Meter
K-State Captures Second Win with Pair of Goals
Aug 17, 2025 | Soccer
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State controlled the action for a majority of its match on Sunday at Buser Family Park. The Wildcats punched in a pair of second half goals to be rewarded for its efforts with a 2-0 win. The Wildcats have opened a season 2-0-0 for the first time since 2018.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State (2-0-0) held a 9-2 advantage in total shots and a 6-1 lead in corner kicks in the first half. The Wildcats were able to put one shot on frame in the opening 45 minutes, as Paige Dickson's attempt in the 22nd minute from 24 yards navigated the traffic in front of the Portland State (0-1-1) net but was saved at the left post. The Wildcats saw five of their attempts blocked by the Vikings.
- The Wildcats broke through the packed Portland State defense with a hustle play from sophomore forward Hannah Palmer in the 73rd minute. Following a Vikings' goal kick, Palmer deflected a pass from a Vikings defender from just outside the 18-yard box. The ball caromed toward the end line, but sophomore forward Mabry Williams rescued the ball and kept the play alive. With a deft touch around Portland State goalkeeper Natalie Cunningham, Williams crossed the ball back to a hard-charging Palmer, who finished with her left foot into the open frame from four yards.
- The goal was the second of Palmer's career and her first this season. It was her first career game-winning goal.
- In the 80th minute, K-State earned a free kick from just outside the Portland State 18-yard box. Williams sent her attempt towards goal and rang the crossbar.
- In the 82nd minute, Williams got her redemption. K-State earned another free kick in almost the same spot. Williams went around the defensive wall and placed the attempt inside the right post for her first goal of the season and as a member of the Wildcats.Â
- With her three points on Sunday, Williams tied her career season-high of three points from the 2024 season at Oklahoma State.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing made one save on Sunday to collect her second straight shutout and surpass her career-high for a season. Sibbing is the first K-State goalkeeper since Emma Malsy in 2018 to collect two shutout wins in the first two matches in frame for K-State.
- For the day, K-State registered an 18-3 advantage in total shots. The Wildcats also tallied an 11-1 lead in corner kicks.
QUICK FACTS
- Corbin is 24-24-12 in her three career seasons as a head coach, including a 2-0-0 mark at K-State.
- K-State is 24-45-8 all-time in matches played at Buser Family Park.
- The Wildcats are 16-12-6 in its history in matches played in the month of August.
- The Wildcats are 3-1-1 all-time in matches against Big Sky Conference members.
- K-State's 18 shots were its most since registering 18 at Iowa State on October 6, 2024.
- K-State's 11 corner kicks tied for the third-most in a match. The 11 corners were the second-most in a match played at Buser Family Park, trailing on the school and facility records of 13 against Creighton September 10, 2017.
PLAYER NOTES
- With her four points this season (one goal, two assists), Palmer is tied for ninth in program history for points in a sophomore season.
- Freshman Lailah Benz made her collegiate debut and played all 45 minutes in the second half.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Colleen Corbin
On how proud she is of this team today…
"I'm super proud of the group. Portland State presented a completely different picture for us. They sat back a little bit, forcing us to try to play around them and find solutions. And I think we got a little frustrated in the first half. Based on the stat sheet, it said we were in our attacking half 71% of the time. That's a long time to be in your half without scoring goals. So came into the locker room a little frustrated, and we just talked about, we have them where we want them; we just need to come up with solutions. Â And there are teams that are going to sit in that's going to be their game plan, and we have to be able to solve it. Â So, just really proud of us for finding solutions. I'm super proud of the kids coming in. You know our game changers, that's why we call them that. Hannah Palmer, Mabry (Williams), right? Like maybe has the assist on the first goal and scores the second goal. Hannah Palmer, getting in the box. That's what we want from our team, right? Just to be able to make adjustments and have new energy and new life come in and get a result."
On being two corner kicks away from the school's record of 13 corner kicks…
"That's part of the game plan, right? Like we want to get in line, we want to cause problems, we want to set up corner kicks. So again, that just shows that the game plan is working. So that's good for us. "
On Palmer's two assists in the previous game and goal today…
"She just continues to show up, and her work rate is always going to be high, and she's going to cause chaos, and that's what we want out of her. So just looking forward to her continued growth as we go through the season."
On the team being 2-0-0 with the next games on the road…
"Nothing better than being 2-0-0 on opening weekend on your home turf, right? And now we just got to take that on the road, and that's going to present different problems, and that's what we need in this preseason. Preseason is to be presented with different problems. But couldn't be prouder of the group. So happy for them and all the hard work that they've done to get to this point."
FROM THE PITCH
K-State Sophomore Forward Mabry Williams
On the perseverance to get the goal in this game…
"Well, the first one didn't go as planned and hit the crossbar. So I knew that I had to try something different. On the ground was the way to go, and it worked out."
On the team being 2-0-0…
"Not a lot of people can say that, yeah, not that people can say that. Super grateful. I mean, we've been working hard in our pre-season. It's been tough, but I'm glad to get what we deserve, and we just have to continue working from here."
On the mentality of coming off the bench and making an impact…
"Everyone has their purpose on the field. Everyone has their job. As long as we go in, we have a good mentality. We all play for each other. Then it doesn't matter, starters, bench players, or game changers, we all have what we're doing."
K-State Sophomore Forward Hannah Palmer
On the goal today…
"We've been focusing a lot on our press. And I saw the pass was kind of coming light, and so I knew I could get to it with my speed, so I just tried to get in and intercept the pass, and it ended up deflecting. Mabry was really good at, seeing where the ball was gonna go, and then she got her hips around it back to me so I could just finish it."
On what has been different this season to have two assists in the last game and a goal today…
"I think just my work ethic, every single thing that I've done in games, is stuff that I've come outside and practiced on my own. I think it's just continuing to play to my strengths and do what I know how to do and just keep pushing, because that's what's been working."
UP NEXT
K-State will embark on a four-match road trip beginning on Thursday, August 21, as the Wildcats visit South Dakota. Match time is 6 p.m.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State (2-0-0) held a 9-2 advantage in total shots and a 6-1 lead in corner kicks in the first half. The Wildcats were able to put one shot on frame in the opening 45 minutes, as Paige Dickson's attempt in the 22nd minute from 24 yards navigated the traffic in front of the Portland State (0-1-1) net but was saved at the left post. The Wildcats saw five of their attempts blocked by the Vikings.
- The Wildcats broke through the packed Portland State defense with a hustle play from sophomore forward Hannah Palmer in the 73rd minute. Following a Vikings' goal kick, Palmer deflected a pass from a Vikings defender from just outside the 18-yard box. The ball caromed toward the end line, but sophomore forward Mabry Williams rescued the ball and kept the play alive. With a deft touch around Portland State goalkeeper Natalie Cunningham, Williams crossed the ball back to a hard-charging Palmer, who finished with her left foot into the open frame from four yards.
- The goal was the second of Palmer's career and her first this season. It was her first career game-winning goal.
- In the 80th minute, K-State earned a free kick from just outside the Portland State 18-yard box. Williams sent her attempt towards goal and rang the crossbar.
- In the 82nd minute, Williams got her redemption. K-State earned another free kick in almost the same spot. Williams went around the defensive wall and placed the attempt inside the right post for her first goal of the season and as a member of the Wildcats.Â
- With her three points on Sunday, Williams tied her career season-high of three points from the 2024 season at Oklahoma State.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing made one save on Sunday to collect her second straight shutout and surpass her career-high for a season. Sibbing is the first K-State goalkeeper since Emma Malsy in 2018 to collect two shutout wins in the first two matches in frame for K-State.
- For the day, K-State registered an 18-3 advantage in total shots. The Wildcats also tallied an 11-1 lead in corner kicks.
QUICK FACTS
- Corbin is 24-24-12 in her three career seasons as a head coach, including a 2-0-0 mark at K-State.
- K-State is 24-45-8 all-time in matches played at Buser Family Park.
- The Wildcats are 16-12-6 in its history in matches played in the month of August.
- The Wildcats are 3-1-1 all-time in matches against Big Sky Conference members.
- K-State's 18 shots were its most since registering 18 at Iowa State on October 6, 2024.
- K-State's 11 corner kicks tied for the third-most in a match. The 11 corners were the second-most in a match played at Buser Family Park, trailing on the school and facility records of 13 against Creighton September 10, 2017.
PLAYER NOTES
- With her four points this season (one goal, two assists), Palmer is tied for ninth in program history for points in a sophomore season.
- Freshman Lailah Benz made her collegiate debut and played all 45 minutes in the second half.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Colleen Corbin
On how proud she is of this team today…
"I'm super proud of the group. Portland State presented a completely different picture for us. They sat back a little bit, forcing us to try to play around them and find solutions. And I think we got a little frustrated in the first half. Based on the stat sheet, it said we were in our attacking half 71% of the time. That's a long time to be in your half without scoring goals. So came into the locker room a little frustrated, and we just talked about, we have them where we want them; we just need to come up with solutions. Â And there are teams that are going to sit in that's going to be their game plan, and we have to be able to solve it. Â So, just really proud of us for finding solutions. I'm super proud of the kids coming in. You know our game changers, that's why we call them that. Hannah Palmer, Mabry (Williams), right? Like maybe has the assist on the first goal and scores the second goal. Hannah Palmer, getting in the box. That's what we want from our team, right? Just to be able to make adjustments and have new energy and new life come in and get a result."
On being two corner kicks away from the school's record of 13 corner kicks…
"That's part of the game plan, right? Like we want to get in line, we want to cause problems, we want to set up corner kicks. So again, that just shows that the game plan is working. So that's good for us. "
On Palmer's two assists in the previous game and goal today…
"She just continues to show up, and her work rate is always going to be high, and she's going to cause chaos, and that's what we want out of her. So just looking forward to her continued growth as we go through the season."
On the team being 2-0-0 with the next games on the road…
"Nothing better than being 2-0-0 on opening weekend on your home turf, right? And now we just got to take that on the road, and that's going to present different problems, and that's what we need in this preseason. Preseason is to be presented with different problems. But couldn't be prouder of the group. So happy for them and all the hard work that they've done to get to this point."
FROM THE PITCH
K-State Sophomore Forward Mabry Williams
On the perseverance to get the goal in this game…
"Well, the first one didn't go as planned and hit the crossbar. So I knew that I had to try something different. On the ground was the way to go, and it worked out."
On the team being 2-0-0…
"Not a lot of people can say that, yeah, not that people can say that. Super grateful. I mean, we've been working hard in our pre-season. It's been tough, but I'm glad to get what we deserve, and we just have to continue working from here."
On the mentality of coming off the bench and making an impact…
"Everyone has their purpose on the field. Everyone has their job. As long as we go in, we have a good mentality. We all play for each other. Then it doesn't matter, starters, bench players, or game changers, we all have what we're doing."
K-State Sophomore Forward Hannah Palmer
On the goal today…
"We've been focusing a lot on our press. And I saw the pass was kind of coming light, and so I knew I could get to it with my speed, so I just tried to get in and intercept the pass, and it ended up deflecting. Mabry was really good at, seeing where the ball was gonna go, and then she got her hips around it back to me so I could just finish it."
On what has been different this season to have two assists in the last game and a goal today…
"I think just my work ethic, every single thing that I've done in games, is stuff that I've come outside and practiced on my own. I think it's just continuing to play to my strengths and do what I know how to do and just keep pushing, because that's what's been working."
UP NEXT
K-State will embark on a four-match road trip beginning on Thursday, August 21, as the Wildcats visit South Dakota. Match time is 6 p.m.
Â
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Soccer, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
PSU
KState
Goals
0
2
Shots
3
18
Shots on Goal
1
4
Saves
2
1
Corners
1
11
Fouls
12
13
Scoring Plays
Hannah Palmer (1)
Assisted By: Mabry Williams
GOAL by KState Palmer, Hannah Assist by Williams, Mabry.
72:53
Mabry Williams (1)
GOAL by KState Williams, Mabry.
81:51
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Soccer
M
/ SoccerF
/ Soccer
GK
/ SoccerF
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