Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – K-State soccer opened its eighth season of action in grand fashion, as the Wildcats scored four unanswered goals, including two by sophomore Jazmin Brown and the game-winner from senior Aliyah El-Naggar, to capture a 4-1 win Thursday afternoon on the road at Aldo Santaga Stadium over Green Bay.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Trailing 1-0 in the 19th minute, K-State (1-0-0) squared the match from its second corner kick of the day.
- Senior Kiran Singh, making her K-State debut, sent her second corner kick of the afternoon into the six-yard box. Brown found herself alone and easily deposited her header into the lower right corner.
- This was Brown's first career goal, while Singh pocketed the ninth assist of her collegiate career.
- Going into the wind in the first half, K-State registered a 10-2 advantage in total shots and a 3-0 lead in corner kicks.
- K-State dominated possession for much of the second half and finally broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute. El-Naggar, a 2023 team co-captain, was sent a pass from Porter List 24 yards from the Green Bay net at the right corner of the penalty area. With no oncoming defender and a wide-open lane toward goal, El-Naggar sent a low shot that skimmed the turf and went between the legs of Green Bay goalkeeper Payton Lang.
- The goal was El-Naggar's third at K-State and first since the 2021 season. This was the first game-winning goal of El-Naggar's career.
- Brown added her second of the afternoon in the 81st minute. Singh played in another corner kick and Brown muscled her way through traffic to head in the orb from the doorstep and give the Wildcats a two-goal margin.
- In the 90th minute (89:47), freshman Jo Sees redirected a shot from sophomore Paige Dickson toward the left post.
- This was the first career goal for Sees and the first career assist for Dickson.
- The Wildcats outshot the Phoenix, 27-3, including 17-1 in the second half. The 27 total shots are tied for the second-most in program history.
QUICK FACTS
- The win was the first road victory in a season-opener for the program and the first season-opening win since the 2018 season.
- K-State is 2-5-1 all-time in season-openers and are 1-3-0 in road season-openers.
- The Wildcats are 3-0-0 all-time in matches against Horizon League members.
- Freshmen Crosby Nicholson and Rilyn Rintoul made their collegiate debuts in the starting lineup on Thursday afternoon. This was the second straight season (Jazmin Brown and Sophie Harlan – 2022) and the third time K-State started two or more true freshmen in a season-opener.
- K-State is 13-25-12 all-time when tied at halftime.
- The Wildcats registered the third-most goals in program history, tying the four against Oakland on August 19, 2018 and at Colorado State on September 5, 2021. The four goals were the most in a season-opener in program history.
- K-State tied the school record for goals in a second half with three on Thursday.
- K-State's four assists tied for the third-most assists in a single match in program history and were the most since dishing out five against Colorado State on September 15, 2022.
- With its four assists on Thursday, K-State surpassed the 100 assist mark in the history of the program (101 total assists).
- K-State's 12 points were the third-most for a single-match in the program's history and the most in a season-opener.
- K-State tallied a 12-0 advantage in corner kicks. The 12 corner kicks by the Wildcats are the second-most in a single-match in program history.
PLAYER NOTES
- Brown is the first Wildcat since Katie Cramer in 2019 to score two goals in a season-opener.
- Singh is the first Wildcat with two assists in their K-State debut. She owns 10 assists in her collegiate career.
- List collected her second career assist and first since the 2021 season.
- Freshman Rilyn Rintoul led the Wildcats with six shots and tied for team-high honors with two on goal.
- Senior Maddie Weichel played in her 52nd career match on Thursday. She is tied for 10th in program history for career matches played.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Mike Dibbini
On the first 15 minutes...
"It didn't go the way we wanted at the start. Obviously, they scored a goal on us early in the game with the wind. But I knew that we were going to get our chances. And we were able to just execute one set piece and get in the game, but then we got the rhythm of the game going for us. We were going to get more chances and that's what we did in the second half."
On the first goal by Jazmin Brown...
"We wanted to play the ball in a certain pocket and Coach Smith called it, since he runs our restarts, and we executed our chance. We just kept running with the same play the rest of the afternoon."
On the start of the second half...
"When you're playing on the road, it's always a challenge. We were able to take a team that was kind of sitting in a little bit on us and we got a little more creative. Once we scored and found some separation I knew the game was going to break open for us and that's what happened."
On the three goals from defenders...
"I mean, it was great. Three of our goals came from restarts too. So not only defenders, but a restarts so it gives us a chance to gather ourselves. The run of play was okay, but we got better. We executed our chances on restarts.
On Aliyah El-Naggar's game-winner...
"Anytime you get a senior that scores for you, it gives you more momentum towards the next and the team starts hunting for the next."
FROM THE FIELD
K-State Sophomore Defender Jazmin Brown
On adjustments she made on corner kicks...
"I focused on adjusting the timing of my run so that I could better read where the ball was going and meet the ball with the power needed to score."
On the offensive approach in the second half...
"Our team came out in the second half with the effort and focus we should've had during the entire game. We played fast and sharp instead of rushed and frantic, and we worked hard to clean up our final passes."
On the last time she scored two goals in a match...
"The last time I scored two goals was probably my senior year during club. That was also the last time I got a hat trick, so I'm looking to update that real soon."
UP NEXT
K-State completes its season-opening road trip weekend by visiting 18th-ranked Northwestern on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will stream on B1G+ and a subscription is required.