As the sun set behind Buser Family Park on a hot September afternoon, the ‘Cats opened Big 12 play against a formidable Houston team. While Houston was coming off two big wins, K-State had its first-ever undefeated non-conference schedule with five wins and three ties, and they weren’t going down without a fight.

However, the Cougars defeated the Wildcats 3-0, ending their school-record nine-match unbeaten streak.

From the first whistle, it looked like K-State would strike first with two quality shots from sophomore Gabby DeMers. However, in the 13th minute, Houston’s Samira Minor sent a shot in from just inside Wildcat territory that caught goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing off guard and flew over her head to put the Cougars up 1-0.

K-State wouldn’t be deterred, though, as the ‘Cats got their own chance. In the 20th minute, Houston attempted a clearance, but sophomore midfielder Langley Mayers deflected Houston’s attempted clearance, slipping the ball past the goalie. However, Houston initiated a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) challenge, and officials overturned the goal, ruling Mayers played the ball out of goalkeeper Sierra McCluer’s hands. The decision marked the third goal K-State has had taken off the scoreboard this season due to VAR.

The Wildcats took another big blow in the first half when, a little under 10 minutes later, senior defender Reece Walrod went down hard on the far side of the field, injuring her right arm and exiting the game.

Despite the setback, K-State stayed undeterred and kept creating chances for the rest of the half. McKinnan Braswell led the charge up top to break the shutout, while sophomore Lailah Benz stepped up to cover for Walrod on the back line. 

Head coach Colleen Corbin praised Benz’s adaptability after her impressive performance in her second start of the season.

“Lailah [Benz] was incredible,” Corbin said. “That’s a big moment for a kid who hasn’t played a ton of minutes consistently, and definitely not in that position. So for her to step in and have the impact that she did and play the role that she did was really impressive.”

The Wildcats didn’t break through in the first, and as they set up to kick off the second half of action, the tension was palpable both on the field and in the crowd. Much like the first half, K-State rained down shot after shot to start the half, but McCluer deflected or saved most of them.

Houston would capitalize on set pieces to seal the win. In the 68th minute, Ella Morgan headed in a corner kick from Laney Gonzales to make it two-nothing. Three minutes later, Adelhia Ghonda nudged in another corner kick off her shoulder inside the left post.

The Wildcats continued to build momentum but couldn’t find the back of the net. When the final whistle blew, K-State ended with 19 shots but a scoreline of 3-0 to open conference play.

“We didn’t score goals, right?” Corbin said. “I think our team’s been scoring goals all year, which has been really fun. We still got 19 shots off, which is a lot. I think just not being able to see the ball hit the back of the net is disappointing. … But I thought overall our performance was really good.”

With K-State set to host Arizona at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, on ESPN+, Corbin pointed to set-piece defense as the team’s primary focus moving forward.

“I think the set pieces are the ones you can really take away from it,” Corbin said. “Just continuing to hone in on our defensive moments in those spaces. But again, I think the way our team played, I’m really proud of. Really, really good fight.”