Kansas State University Athletics
Thursday, September 18
Boulder, Colo.
8 p.m. (CT)
Kansas State University
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at
0
Colorado
K-State Collects Draw at Colorado in Big 12 Opener
Sep 18, 2025 | Soccer
BOULDER, Colorado – K-State soccer opened its 2025 Big 12 schedule with a hard fought 0-0 draw at Colorado on Thursday night at Prentup Field. With the shutout draw, the Wildcats and sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing tied the school records for shutouts in a season and snapped a five-match Big 12 losing streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State (5-1-2, 0-0-1 Big 12) registered its 13th shutout half of the season in the first half, as the Wildcats kept Colorado (6-1-2, 0-0-1), a team that entered with a Big 12-high 28 goals (3.5 goals/game). This was the eighth straight match this season in which the Wildcats have not conceded a goal in the opening half.
- Shortly after entering the match in the first half, redshirt freshman forward Gabby DeMers made a bid to put K-State on top. In the 24th minute, DeMers intercepted a pass from the Buffaloes goalkeeper and took a dribble before firing a shot from 16 yards but her attempt rang the crossbar.
- Sophomore forward Hannah Palmer followed by earning a foul just outside the 18-yard box in the 26th minute. Senior midfielder Paige Dickson attempted the free kick and narrowly missed the lower right corner.
- In the 39th minute, Palmer unleashed a spinning, left-footed attempt from 15 yards that had the upper left corner in its sights, but Colorado's goalkeeper Jordan Nytes recovered to make a diving save that resulted in a K-State corner kick.
- Colorado held a 4-3 edge in total shots in the opening half, but the teams were equal in shots on goal at one each. The Wildcats held a 4-3 lead in corner kicks.
- Despite a 10-4 advantage in total shots in the second half by Colorado, K-State goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing and her defensive back four of Chloe Dillbeck, Lily Hendrickson, Reece Walrod and Emerson DeLuca tallied the 14th shutout half of the season.
- For the night, Sibbing hauled in five saves to earn her sixth shutout of the season. With her sixth shutout this season, Sibbing has equaled the school record for shutouts in a season held by Emma Malsy in the 2018 season.
- K-State has registered six shutouts as a team for the third time in program history (2018, 2021).
- This was the first time the Buffaloes have been shutout at Prentup Field since Oct. 13, 2024, against UCF.
QUICK FACTS
- Colorado leads the series with K-State, 1-0-1. Head coach Colleen Corbin faced Colorado for the first time in her career.
- The Wildcats are 9-56-8 all-time in Big 12 Conference matches. This is K-State's ninth season of conference play in the Big 12.
- This was the third time in the last four seasons that K-State has earned a draw in its Big 12 opener.
- Corbin is 27-25-14 in her three career seasons as a head coach, including a 5-1-2 mark at K-State.
- K-State is 17-53-15 in its history in road matches including a 2-1-2 record this season.
- The Wildcats are 17-41-11 in its history in matches played in the month of September including a 1-1-2 record this season.
- When K-State is tied at halftime in its history, the Wildcats are 16-34-19 including a 2-1-2 mark this season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Sibbing has made five or more saves in a match eight times in her career and this marked the second time this season.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Colleen Corbin
On game changers affecting the final 20 minutes of the first half…
"Both Gabby (DeMers) and Hannah (Palmer) were incredible, even Jayce (Woodward) coming off the bench, I though she was really dangerous. I just think it's what we want out of them. It's what we expect out of them, to add momentum to the match. When the game starts to level out and teams kind of settle in, to come in and make an impact right away. They both absolutely did that and it was unfortunate not to get a goal out of it. I think it was exciting for everyone just to see the continued growth in the attacking third."
On lack of possession in the second half…
"Our scout and our style was working in the first half. We had space in the midfield that we were looking to play into and it was really effective for us. Colorado made a formation change in the second half and came out in a 4-3-3, so they matched us man for man. That made it more challenging for us to find spaces to play through the midfield. It just made us a more defensive group in the second half and really fighting for our attacking moments. It was good for us to have to make adjustments in real time. It is exciting to see a team making adjustments to try to deal with what you're presenting them with. We're not surprised that we had less possession, but also good for us for being able to win that storm. We talked about there being ebbs and flows and momentum during games and I thought we dealt with it well."
On defensive back four and Maddie Sibbing stepping up in the final 10 minutes…
"They were incredible. It took an extra level of grit and mentality and determination from those five. They were taking on water and they were dealing with problems and snuffing them out. I told (associate head coach) Julie (McClure), who leads that back group, that her kids were phenomenal tonight. I think what was most impressive was kind of that second layer of defending. The first one would go out and apply pressure to the ball and then just when you thought they got cut or they got passed around, the next layer came and it was just suffocating. That's the thing we needed tonight against a really good Colorado side who has scored a lot of goals on a lot of different teams."
On the team's defensive mindset to keep piling up shutouts…
"We kind of set that precedent when we first came in, that it has to be a collective effort from the front group to the back group and if we were going to press and if we were going to become comfortable, it has to be collective because if it's not, then it's really easy to play through. It's not just one or two or three people selling their soul to keep the ball out of the back of the net but it is everyone with a collective mindset. I love it and I'm proud of them for just that mentality."
On what she wants to see the team improve on before next week…
"I think the biggest thing is just to continue to be clinical in scoring moments. I think we had some really, really good looks tonight. We just have to continue to grow in that space and that is going to take time. I think we just have to continue to train it and put them in as challenging a situation as we can, under pressure, so that they feel like they're in context and just continuing again to take shots and find the back of the net."
UP NEXT
K-State returns to Buser Family Park next week to host (14) TCU on Thursday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m., and Baylor on Sunday, September 28 at 11:30 a.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets. Both matches will stream on ESPN+.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State (5-1-2, 0-0-1 Big 12) registered its 13th shutout half of the season in the first half, as the Wildcats kept Colorado (6-1-2, 0-0-1), a team that entered with a Big 12-high 28 goals (3.5 goals/game). This was the eighth straight match this season in which the Wildcats have not conceded a goal in the opening half.
- Shortly after entering the match in the first half, redshirt freshman forward Gabby DeMers made a bid to put K-State on top. In the 24th minute, DeMers intercepted a pass from the Buffaloes goalkeeper and took a dribble before firing a shot from 16 yards but her attempt rang the crossbar.
- Sophomore forward Hannah Palmer followed by earning a foul just outside the 18-yard box in the 26th minute. Senior midfielder Paige Dickson attempted the free kick and narrowly missed the lower right corner.
- In the 39th minute, Palmer unleashed a spinning, left-footed attempt from 15 yards that had the upper left corner in its sights, but Colorado's goalkeeper Jordan Nytes recovered to make a diving save that resulted in a K-State corner kick.
- Colorado held a 4-3 edge in total shots in the opening half, but the teams were equal in shots on goal at one each. The Wildcats held a 4-3 lead in corner kicks.
- Despite a 10-4 advantage in total shots in the second half by Colorado, K-State goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing and her defensive back four of Chloe Dillbeck, Lily Hendrickson, Reece Walrod and Emerson DeLuca tallied the 14th shutout half of the season.
- For the night, Sibbing hauled in five saves to earn her sixth shutout of the season. With her sixth shutout this season, Sibbing has equaled the school record for shutouts in a season held by Emma Malsy in the 2018 season.
- K-State has registered six shutouts as a team for the third time in program history (2018, 2021).
- This was the first time the Buffaloes have been shutout at Prentup Field since Oct. 13, 2024, against UCF.
QUICK FACTS
- Colorado leads the series with K-State, 1-0-1. Head coach Colleen Corbin faced Colorado for the first time in her career.
- The Wildcats are 9-56-8 all-time in Big 12 Conference matches. This is K-State's ninth season of conference play in the Big 12.
- This was the third time in the last four seasons that K-State has earned a draw in its Big 12 opener.
- Corbin is 27-25-14 in her three career seasons as a head coach, including a 5-1-2 mark at K-State.
- K-State is 17-53-15 in its history in road matches including a 2-1-2 record this season.
- The Wildcats are 17-41-11 in its history in matches played in the month of September including a 1-1-2 record this season.
- When K-State is tied at halftime in its history, the Wildcats are 16-34-19 including a 2-1-2 mark this season.
PLAYER NOTES
- Sibbing has made five or more saves in a match eight times in her career and this marked the second time this season.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Colleen Corbin
On game changers affecting the final 20 minutes of the first half…
"Both Gabby (DeMers) and Hannah (Palmer) were incredible, even Jayce (Woodward) coming off the bench, I though she was really dangerous. I just think it's what we want out of them. It's what we expect out of them, to add momentum to the match. When the game starts to level out and teams kind of settle in, to come in and make an impact right away. They both absolutely did that and it was unfortunate not to get a goal out of it. I think it was exciting for everyone just to see the continued growth in the attacking third."
On lack of possession in the second half…
"Our scout and our style was working in the first half. We had space in the midfield that we were looking to play into and it was really effective for us. Colorado made a formation change in the second half and came out in a 4-3-3, so they matched us man for man. That made it more challenging for us to find spaces to play through the midfield. It just made us a more defensive group in the second half and really fighting for our attacking moments. It was good for us to have to make adjustments in real time. It is exciting to see a team making adjustments to try to deal with what you're presenting them with. We're not surprised that we had less possession, but also good for us for being able to win that storm. We talked about there being ebbs and flows and momentum during games and I thought we dealt with it well."
On defensive back four and Maddie Sibbing stepping up in the final 10 minutes…
"They were incredible. It took an extra level of grit and mentality and determination from those five. They were taking on water and they were dealing with problems and snuffing them out. I told (associate head coach) Julie (McClure), who leads that back group, that her kids were phenomenal tonight. I think what was most impressive was kind of that second layer of defending. The first one would go out and apply pressure to the ball and then just when you thought they got cut or they got passed around, the next layer came and it was just suffocating. That's the thing we needed tonight against a really good Colorado side who has scored a lot of goals on a lot of different teams."
On the team's defensive mindset to keep piling up shutouts…
"We kind of set that precedent when we first came in, that it has to be a collective effort from the front group to the back group and if we were going to press and if we were going to become comfortable, it has to be collective because if it's not, then it's really easy to play through. It's not just one or two or three people selling their soul to keep the ball out of the back of the net but it is everyone with a collective mindset. I love it and I'm proud of them for just that mentality."
On what she wants to see the team improve on before next week…
"I think the biggest thing is just to continue to be clinical in scoring moments. I think we had some really, really good looks tonight. We just have to continue to grow in that space and that is going to take time. I think we just have to continue to train it and put them in as challenging a situation as we can, under pressure, so that they feel like they're in context and just continuing again to take shots and find the back of the net."
UP NEXT
K-State returns to Buser Family Park next week to host (14) TCU on Thursday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m., and Baylor on Sunday, September 28 at 11:30 a.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets. Both matches will stream on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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