MANHATTAN, Kansas (K-State Athletics) – On the strength of a first half goal, K-State soccer earned head coach Mike Dibbini a milestone win with a 1-0 defeat of Houston at Buser Family Park on Thursday night. The win was K-State’s first since late August, ending a 10-match winless streak.

HOW IT HAPPENED
– Thursday’s victory was the 300th win of Dibbini’s 16-year coaching career (300-160-49). Dibbini has made coaching stops at Kansas Wesleyan and Cal Poly Pomona before taking the inaugural reins of the K-State program in 2016.
– K-State (3-8-3, 1-4-1 Big 12) took the 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Senior Porter List attempted K-State’s second corner kick of the night and found the head of sophomore Jazmin Brown. Brown’s header from seven yards looped to the left post and found the side netting.
– This was Brown’s third goal of the season and of her career. It was her third goal off a corner kick header.
– K-State outshot Houston (7-6-1, 1-5-0) in the first half, 11-5, including a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Wildcats also held a 5-0 lead in corner kicks.
– The Wildcats kept the offensive pressure on in the second half, notching a 7-6 edge in total shots including a 5-2 lead in shots on goal.
– This was K-State’s fourth shutout of the season, which were all backstopped by sophomore goalkeeper Murphy Sheaff. Sheaff hauled in four saves on Thursday.

QUICK FACTS
– Thursday was the first meeting between K-State and Houston.
– The Wildcats are 9-50-6 in Big 12 matches.
– K-State is 2-4-2 at Buser Family Park this season. The Wildcats are 20-37-7 in eight seasons in games played at home.
– Dibbini owns a record of 35-82-18 in eight seasons as the only head coach in K-State history.
– Brown’s goal ended K-State’s scoreless stretch at 394:56, which spanned four-plus matches.

PLAYER NOTES
– Jazmin Brown’s goal gave her three this season, which ties the school record for goals in a sophomore season with Tatum Wagner (2016). Brown now leads the team with three goals this season.
– Brown’s six points this season are a career-high and ranks tied for second in school history for points in a sophomore season.
– Senior Porter List recorded her second assist of the season. She is tied for second in program history for assists in a senior/fifth-year season. List is second on the team this season in assists with two.
– Sheaff is tied for second in program history for goalie wins in a sophomore season.
– Sheaff is second in program history for shutouts in a sophomore season (4). This was Sheaff’s ninth career collegiate shutout, as she tallied five at Jacksonville last season.
– With her start on Thursday, junior Kenzi Gillispie ranks fifth in school history for career starts with 51. Gillispie has started every match of her career and owns the longest active consecutive start streak on the 2023 roster.
– Sophomore Sophie Simmons made her first career start on Thursday night.
– Freshman Anna Pagano made her first career start on Thursday night.
– Senior Maddie Weichel played in her 65th career match on Sunday. She ranks fifth in school history for career matches played.

FROM THE HEAD COACH
K-State Head Coach Mike Dibbini
On his on his 300th career win…
“It’s extremely meaningful. I had no idea it was my 300th win until my staff told me but all credit to current players, past players, current staff, past staff. This wasn’t just done by me, it was done by all of us together. But for this result tonight, we needed this one, it was an important one to get us going and change our season, I felt like this is a good start to moving forward in the right direction.”

On being more aggressive in the first half…
“We trained it all week. We executed all week. We have players that had something to prove that stepped in and did a really good job for us, and in getting us going and starting on that front foot. I mean, that’s what you saw tonight, we just kept it going and got a goal. We were trying to get another one late, but it just didn’t happen. ”

On preparing for Houston…
“We prepared them this week, we focused on the pressing. I think we’re just a much better team when we press up higher up the field. With the ball higher up the field, we create chances for ourselves. They executed the game plan to the tee and  they deserve this result.”

On Crosby Nicholson’s performance tonight…
“She’s a presence. She made herself known the last couple games. Just super proud of her effort tonight and the way she came to play on both sides. In all phases, not only just in possession, out of possession in both transition moments and on set pieces and restarts. So kudos to her and I’m very happy with her development and the way she’s moving.”

On Anna Pagano’s performance tonight…
“Just pure composure. She likes to play out of the back and she gave us some good chances. I’m excited for her and she did a really good job to get a start tonight and help them get that result, and get that shut out.”

FROM THE FIELD
Jazmin Brown, Sophomore Defender/Midfielder
On making herself available and a target on the corner…
“Normally game-to- game the other team knows that I’m the target. So it’s really about me trying to break free and this one we tried waiting till the ball was struck so they don’t know where I’m going, and it seemed to work out. But I want to keep being that target in that dominance in the air in the corners.

On moving up into the midfield…
“At the beginning, I had never played there before. So it’s a little just getting used to it. Now I’m trying to get in the rhythm of it, I’m understanding the role better,  kind of like being a center back just little farther up the field as I’m thinking about it. So I’m just starting from there and working my way up through practice.”

On playing with the five freshmen in the starting 11 and pressing…
“We really made an emphasis on pressing up high, like that was our game plan, and we started five freshmen, and they all did the job perfectly. It was great. There was high press. Everyone had urgency and we we’re smart about it. It wasn’t just rushed and frantic. We had an urgency with a goal. So I think it worked really well.”

UP NEXT
K-State travels to Provo, Utah, for a Monday night meeting with seventh-ranked BYU at 7 p.m. Monday’s match will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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