Under the sun at Buser Family Park, Kansas State women’s soccer put on an offensive clinic in Thursday’s home opener, defeating Missouri State 3-0.

The Wildcats controlled the pace from kickoff, spending most of the match camping out deep in Missouri State territory. K-State outshot the Bears 32-2, including a 13-1 mark in shots on goal, and also held an 11-0 edge in corner kicks. The 13 shots on goal tied the program single-game record set in 2017 against Creighton, while the 32 total shots fell just one short of matching that same game’s record. The win marks the Wildcats’ second straight 3-0 start to the season.

“This past summer has been a lot of focusing on the offense,” senior midfielder McKinnan Braswell said. “Last season was a lot of figuring out our press and our team mentality to go win the ball up high, but I think we’re getting into the rhythm of we know how to play, we know how to score different types of goals. So it’s just been committing ourselves numbers-wise and just committing to the offense.”

Braswell set the tone early. In the sixth minute, junior forward Rilyn Rintoul slipped a pass inside the 18-yard box to Braswell, who buried a left-footed strike past Missouri State goalkeeper Kate Lewis five minutes in to make it 1-0.

“We don’t want to lose at home,” Braswell said of returning to Manhattan after starting the season in Hawaii. “Being here at home … we’re here to defend our house and show out for our fans.”

The Wildcats completely erased Missouri State’s attack early, denying the Bears a single shot attempt throughout the first half. K-State’s front line poured on 20 shots and 10 corners before halftime, keeping Lewis busy while building a commanding 62% possession advantage overall. Lewis finished with 10 saves to keep the margin tight through the first 45 minutes.

“Our attack right now is really dynamic,” head coach Colleen Corbin said. “There’s a lot of different people that are playing a really big role, and so that is making it really hard for teams to defend and for people to account for the different types of players that we have. We’re creating a bajillion chances and also scoring goals, which is really exciting.”

The Wildcats broke through again in the second half. In the 58th minute, sophomore forward Gabby DeMers pounced on a Bear turnover and threaded a through ball to Rintoul on the left wing. Rintoul converted into the far corner at 57:09 to stretch the lead to 2-0.

The goal and assist marked Rintoul’s second back-to-back game with both a goal and an assist. With the performance, Rintoul moved into a tie for eighth in program history for career goals and ninth in career points.

“It’s really special to even be in the conversation and to be through the evolution of K-State soccer and what we are striving for,” Rintoul said. “We had the conversation earlier this season: to be up with the best teams in the conference, you need to be up there in points with them, so that’s kind of what we’re striving for.”

Freshman forward Kennedy Miller put the finishing touches on the win at 75:23. After a diving Lewis stopped her initial attempt, Miller jumped on her own rebound and tucked it inside the left post for her second goal of the season.

Junior goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing locked down her second clean sheet of the season, making a save in the 82nd minute on Missouri State’s only shot on frame. The shutout was the 10th of Sibbing’s career, tying former Wildcat goalkeeper Alaina Werremeyer for the program record.

K-State stays at home on Sunday, Aug. 23, hosting South Dakota State at 1 p.m. at Buser Family Park.