On a cold, clear night in Manhattan, the Wildcats welcomed Colorado to Buser Family Park for alumni night during homecoming week, celebrating the 10th anniversary of K-State soccer. The Wildcats looked to end their four-game slide in Big 12 play.
K-State controlled the tempo from kickoff, and just over a minute in, junior forward Allison Marshall appeared to head a cross into the net. However, for the fourth time this season, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened and took away another K-State goal after officials determined Marshall made contact with Colorado goalkeeper Brooke Goerish’s hands.
It was a back-and-forth affair until the 19th minute, when Colorado’s Emma Thielbahr broke through to put the Buffaloes up early. Reagan Kotschau delivered a corner kick that Thielbahr headed into the net.
K-State struck back quickly with a goal in the 21st minute. Sophomore defender Chloe Dillbeck delivered a cross to sophomore forward Gabby DeMers at the right post, and DeMers made it count with a right-footed finish from 10 yards out.
With her sixth goal of the season, DeMers tied for second in program history for goals in a single season. The goal also gave K-State its 23rd of the season, tying the 2025 school record.
“She just continues to work relentlessly and be intentional about what she’s doing, how she’s doing it and trying to elevate her game,” head coach Colleen Corbin said.
Shortly after the K-State equalizer, Colorado initiated a VAR review on a foul in the box. Officials awarded the Buffaloes a penalty kick, which Kotschau converted to put Colorado back in front, 2-1.
The ‘Cats would come out of the half the same way they went in — applying pressure.
Just two minutes into the second half, K-State equalized for the second time. DeMers fired a shot toward the right post from 12 yards out, but Goerish made the save. DeMers kept the play alive, though, passing the ball back to Marshall, who finished into the open net to make it 2-2.
Marshall’s goal was the Wildcats’ 24th of the season, setting a new single-season scoring record for the second year in a row. It was also Marshall’s ninth goal of her career, putting her in sole possession of third place in program history.
K-State continued fighting for the lead but ultimately conceded the final blow in the 60th minute. Colorado’s Sloane Phillips sent a long pass toward the goal from the right side, and Lilian Zamorano redirected it inside the right post from five yards out.
Colorado held on for the 3-2 win, extending the Wildcats’ losing streak to five games and their winless streak to seven.
“We just challenged our kids to be able to expose the areas that we felt like they were going to give us, and we felt like a lot of that was going to come from getting the ball wide,” Corbin said. “The goals that we scored came from those spaces.”
The ‘Cats outshot Colorado 18-13, including a 10-5 advantage in shots on goal, but could not turn their offensive production into a win.
“I felt like we played pretty freaking well tonight,” Corbin said. “Some of the best soccer we might have ever played ever. It just feels like we’re waiting for a moment to go our way in these big games where we feel like we’ve done enough to win.”
Despite the loss, K-State finished the night with 67 points on the season, the second-highest total in program history. DeMers also improved her season point total to 15, tying Brookelynn Entz’s school record from 2020.
The Wildcats (5-6-4, 0-6-1 Big 12) will continue searching for their first Big 12 win when they take on rival Iowa State at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 in Ames, Iowa. The match will air on ESPN+.
