Kaitlyn Cook
Sophomore Hannah Palmer is chasing after the TCU player with the ball. TCU defeated the Wildcats 0-1 at Buser Family Park on Sept. 25th
Kansas State scored two goals within six minutes of each other on an impressive road victory at Oklahoma State.
K-State sophomore forward Hannah Palmer scored the consecutive goals, converting on a penalty kick and later finishing off a goal that was deflected into the middle of the box, where Palmer was in the right place at the right time.
For Palmer, The two goals against Oklahoma were the fourth and fifth of her season and the second and third in her Big 12 career. This was also the first career multi-goal game for Palmer in her young career.
“Hannah has continued to cause problems and generate dangerous opportunities, so I am really happy for her to see the ball hit the back of the net today,” K-State head coach Colleen Corbin said. “I also love that she stepped up with confidence to take the PK and smashed it.”
The Wildcats faced an early deficit as Oklahoma State scored a goal just four minutes into the contest. However, after the early score, the ‘Cats dominated the rest of the half, and ultimately the rest of the game, leading to a win.
After the early goal, K-State outshot Oklahoma State 14-5 in the first half and 25-9 for the entirety of the game. The 25 total shots set a school record for most shots attempted in a Big 12 contest.
“To give up a goal at the start of the game was really unfortunate and unexpected, and our team came into this game feeling incredibly confident,” Corbin said. “So the staff and I were really pleased with the way the team responded and the grit and tenacity they showed to immediately get back on the front foot and go forward.”
The Wildcats notched their sixth win of the season, which ties a school record for most wins in a season. So far this season, K-State has faced five of the top seven teams in the current Big 12 standings.
While there is never an easy victory in the Big 12, having already played the top teams should set up a fun second half of the season as the Wildcats look to make the Big 12 tournament for the second time in their existence.
“We opened our Big 12 slate with some incredibly challenging matchups, and we were really happy with how we competed and what we learned about ourselves,” Corbin said. “The team is really excited and confident heading into the back half of conference play and looking forward to having more opportunities to earn points and to continue to push to get into Big 12 postseason play in November.”
The ‘Cats return home for two games against Cincinnati and West Virginia as they look to keep the momentum going from their win over Oklahoma State.
The first matchup will be on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. as K-State takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats.