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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Team Celebration
Erika Pritchard, UNK Communications
2
Emporia St. ESU (5-6-2, 3-4-1)
3
Winner Neb.-Kearney UNK (6-4-5, 2-4-3)
Emporia St. ESU
(5-6-2, 3-4-1)
2
Final
3
Neb.-Kearney UNK
(6-4-5, 2-4-3)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Emporia St. ESU 2 0 2
Neb.-Kearney UNK 2 1 3

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

A Perfect Senior Night

Kearney, Neb. – Freshman Daniella Iaquinta scored in the 62nd minute and Nebraska Kearney rallied from two deficits to down Emporia State, 3-2, Friday night at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium.

On "Senior Night", the Lopers (6-4-5, 2-4-3) stop a 12-game losing streak to the Hornets (5-6-2, 3-4-1) and enhance their chances of making the eight-team MIAA Tournament. UNK is up to nine league points with three regular season games remaining.  

"I've always said we're a gritty team and we'll fight with anyone. To go down 1-0 and come back, to go down 2-1 and comeback. And then go up 3-2 in the second and miss a few chances to go up even more," said UNK head coach Rob Breton. "It's huge, it's progress and a step in the right direction."

Emporia, which hadn't lost to UNK since Oct. 30, 2016, grabbed leads of 1-0 and 2-0 after heading two corners.  Junior Mikhaela Goen scored her first goal of the season at 14:48 with sophomore Ruby Ryan doing the same about seven minutes later. The Hornets had five of the game's eight corners but none in the second half.

"It wasn't any adjustments. I think it was a mentality and desire. They rest of the team realized we had to fight for the seniors, not just for a result," said Breton.

Senior Ivana Siles (Bolivia) got the Lopers on the board a minute after Goen's goal as she went top shelf from about 30 yards out. Junior Hanna Schimmer (Council Bluffs, Ia.) helped UNK steal possession near midfield with junior Kea Barnes (Aurora, Colo.) and Iaquinta (Aurora, Colo.) connecting passes and then Siles finishing things off. About eight minutes after E-State's second goal, junior Mia Lang (Papillion) sent a long ball towards the Hornets goal from about 40 yards out. Freshman Billie Forrest (Taylorsville, Utah) managed to beat a defender and tap in the loose ball for her first collegiate goal.

Early in the second half, Emporia had trouble clearing the ball in the box. Junior Reagan Downes (Olathe, Kan.) managed to gain possession and went towards the goal where her cross found Iaquinta for the game winner. The freshman is up to four goals, second most on the team. Defensively, sophomore keeper Susan Bovaird (Lincoln East) had four saves over the first 70 minutes with senior Mackenzie Smith (Lincoln) bringing things home over the final 19:58. She had one save with UNK out shooting ESU, 11-7.

"It was shared across the board, and it wasn't any one person contributing the offense. Everyone did their part and that's huge," said Breton. "The defense stepped up as well and Keila (Gillispie) blocking that shot that could've been a goal and made it 3-3."

Besides Siles and Smith, the Lopers honored Emily Flowers (Kansas City, Mo.), Dolcie Hanlon (Grand Junction, Colo.), Angelina Iocca (Old Bridge, N.J.) and Katie Pagel (Aurora, Colo.) afterwards.

"They brought the family together. They made it so much easier to have to do a culture piece because they already loved each other. They wanted to work, they wanted to do all the little things. It was just working through the mentality," said Breton. "A lot of times when you're rebuilding a program, that's what you must bring in. We didn't have to bring it in; it was already here."

UNK visits Rogers State (2-10-2, 1-5-2) and Northeastern State (9-5, 3-5-0) next weekend in Oklahoma.
  
 
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