Washburn women’s soccer continued their winning streak on September 9 at Yager Stadium with another exciting match. The Ichabods made their record 4-0-1 with a 2-1 win over their rivals, the Emporia State Hornets. The match was intense from start to finish, and it all started in the first period.
Coming off of a draw with Missouri S&T in their previous match, Washburn was hungry for victory and Emporia State was the perfect prey. The Hornets, strutting in their black uniforms with gold accents, started off the match with the ball. The Ichabods, wearing white with light blue stripes, did a great job of adjusting to the new ESU formation.
Davy Phillips, head coach for Washburn, says his team “had good preparation through the week” for playing against Emporia State’s new defense and had no problem adjusting on the fly. Washburn held up well against their rivals, but the Hornets came to play. Both teams competed aggressively, with several possession switches throughout the entirety of the match. Looking at the stats, however, Washburn may have played a little too aggressively, with more fouls in the first period than shots on the goal. The Ichabods recorded a total of eight fouls and six shots in the first 45 minutes of play. Fortunately for Washburn, their aggressiveness paid off early in the match. In the 17th minute, sophomore forward Khloe Schuckman crossed the ball to senior forward Jaedyn Johnson, who put it well past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
With the score of 1-0 in Washburn’s favor, Emporia State had to fight hard to catch up. The Bods did well defensively, ensuring the Hornets remained scoreless in the first period. The Bods continued to play aggressively on the offensive side, getting three more shots on goal. Unfortunately, their heavy defense would cost them. Washburn would pick up two yellow cards within two minutes, one on Emily Michaelis and one on Belle Kennedy. ESU would also pick up a yellow card late in the first period, and both teams would go to half with a score of 1-0 in Washburn’s favor.
The Ichabods continued to play well in the second half, but Emporia State performed equally so. The Hornets came out strong, with plenty of offensive opportunities to score. Senior keeper Raegan Wells did a phenomenal job in goal, stopping four shots in the second period to keep the Hornets out of the game. Washburn played just as strongly as they did in the second half, staying aggressive and taking another six shots. Once again, their aggressiveness caught up to them. The Ichabods recorded another seven fouls, but it was the hand ball in the box by Cloe Quintana that led to their defensive error. In the 81st minute, Emporia State would send a penalty kick into the net and tie the game up 1-1. Even though the score had changed, Washburn’s game plan remained untouched, and the Ichabods would continue to use what was working for them.
After the penalty, “there was no gameplay change,” according to Phillips. He kept his girls to their strategy, and they worked it to perfection. No more than two minutes later, Schuckman would power the ball into the goal, putting the Ichabods over the Hornets yet again.
“Emporia is a big rivalry, it felt good to put one away,” Schuckman said. She was a big player for Washburn, assisting the first goal and scoring the second. Schuckman stayed humble, saying that she and her team “brought the heart to the game,” an amazing quote from such a modest performer. With little time left, the Hornets tried everything they could to even up the score, but Washburn’s defense held out. With a key save from Wells in the 88th minute, Washburn would end the game and walk away with another win.
Phillips was pleased with how his team has played so far this season. They have all performed great individually, but their teamwork is what he is most proud of.
“These girls have great chemistry and always put the team first. If you can get that right, then you’re doing something right,” Phillips said. Washburn put another win on the board, and have now set some high expectations for the rest of the season.

Edited by Justin Shepard, Simran Shrestha