Courtesy of Kansas State Athletics
EVANSTON, Illinois – K-State soccer went on the defensive Sunday afternoon at 18th-ranked Northwestern, and K-State came away with a 0-0 draw for its efforts at Martin Stadium. The performance was the first road draw against a ranked opponent in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- K-State (1-0-1) parried away 19 total shots, including 12 in the first half, by Northwestern (1-0-1). Of the 19 shots, only five were on goal.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Murphy Sheaff was up to the task, as she stopped all five of the threatening attempts.
- This was K-State's first shutout since September 22, 2022, at Iowa State. It was the second time K-State has shutout a ranked opponent with the first coming on October 10, 2021, against 23rd-ranked Baylor in Manhattan.
- Sheaff earned her first shutout as a Wildcat and the sixth of her collegiate career.
- K-State concluded the season's opening weekend unbeaten for the first time since the 2018 season.
QUICK FACTS
- K-State is 1-0-1 on the road this season and owns a 14-40-11 record in road matches in program history.
- The Wildcats are 0-4-2 all-time in matches against Big Ten members.
- K-State is 0-1-1 in the series against Northwestern.
- The Wildcats are 0-17-3 against ranked teams in its eight-season history.
- Head coach Mike Dibbini owns a career coaching record of 298-152-47. He is 33-74-16 in eight seasons as the only head coach in K-State history.
- K-State is 13-25-13 all-time when tied at halftime.
- This was the 36th shutout in K-State history. The Wildcats have registered 26 wins and 10 draws when holding opponents scoreless.
PLAYER NOTES
- Senior Maddie Weichel played in her 53rd career match on Sunday. She is tied for ninth in program history for career matches played.
- Sheaff improves her K-State record to 1-0-1. Her career collegiate record stands at 5-2-5.
FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Mike Dibbini
On how he felt the team played this afternoon...
"I think they executed the game plan. They executed the game plan during the game when we made adjustments. That's a really good Northwestern side, they are ranked for a reason. Proud of the performance today from us on both sides of the ball. I felt like, in the second half, especially after the adjustments, maybe the last 20-30 minutes we found ourselves building some confidence and we were trying to sneak went one away."
On limiting Northwestern's veteran midfield...
"We made adjustments at halftime to eliminate and take away the short options to the midfield. It played out really well. The players bought in and trusted it. It helped us create some chances offensively in the later stages of the match."
On the increasing the attack in the last 20 minutes...
"We talked about getting something to the players in the offensive third whether a corner kick or a shot off. And we were able to do that. I think we had maybe three to four corner kicks in the last 20 minutes of play. One hit the crossbar from a header and one went to the keepers hands. As the game went, we built confidence. We knew we could play with them as the game went on and that is how we got this result on the road."
On adjusting the formation...
"We have really good soccer players with really high soccer IQs. I think they can adapt quickly and they were able to show that today. It really was a proud moment for us as coaches to see it play out."
On Murphy Sheaff...
"She brings confidence and a presence and I think that the players really respond to that. As a goalkeeper, if you bring that presence and you bring that confidence, your team knows that they can rely on you. She's really good at organizing things for us. And just like I said, it's that confidence and presence that allows us to play out of the back and rely on her to keep the ball out of the net."
UP NEXT
K-State begins a two-match home stand on Thursday, as the Wildcats host UTSA at Buser Family Park. Match time is 7 p.m. For tickets, call (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets. Thursday's match will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.