A goal in the 62nd minute from freshman Daniella Iaquinta propelled the Lopers to a 3-2 victory over Emporia State on senior night.
The win makes the Lopers 6-4-5, their most wins since 2016 when they went 7-8-3. The win over Emporia State also ended a 12-game losing streak to the Hornets, the last win for the Lopers before Friday night also in 2016.
Both offenses exploded midway through the first half, with Emporia State getting the scoring started on a header goal by Mikhaela Goen from a corner kick. UNK answered back just over a minute later, with Ivana Siles scoring her first goal of the season from roughly 30 yards out to tie the game at one.
Emporia State had their second corner opportunity in the 21st minute, and Ruby Ryan would head in a goal to give the Hornets a 2-1 lead. UNK was again back with an answer, as Billie Forrest scored on a great assist from Mia Lang to tie the game at two, which is where the game would be at halftime.
The Loper offense had struggled the last week, scoring no goals over two games, and UNK coach Rob Breton said the response shows the grittiness of the team.
“We’ll fight with everyone,” Breton said. “It felt amazing that it was shared across the board and it wasn’t just one person who contributed to the offense. Everyone did their part and that’s just huge.”
The Loper defense stepped up big time in the second half, holding Emporia State to no goals. After allowing five corners in the first half, UNK would not allow Emporia State to kick another corner the rest of the game.
Breton said the adjustments at halftime were more on the mental side.
“I don’t think it was an adjustment, it was just the mentality,” Breton said. “I think it was desire and I think the rest of the team realized that we had to fight for the seniors and not just for a result.”
Late in the 62nd minute, UNK would score thanks to the goal from Iaquinta after a great assist from Reagan Downes, which would end up being the game winner for the Lopers.
Breton said that goal came down to having composure.
“We’ve been working all week on when you get in front of the goal to take a deep breath and just tap it in the goal,” Breton said. “I’m proud of her (Iaquinta) for finally breaking the slump she’s kind of been in recently.”
UNK outshot Emporia State 8-3 in the second half, and 11-7 for the game. The goal for Iaquinta was her fourth of the season.
UNK honored its six seniors on Friday including Siles, Mackenzie Smith, Emily Flowers, Dolcie Hanlon, Angelina Iocca and Katie Pagel with a framed jersey and a video tribute after the game.
Breton said they brought this family together.
“They made it so much easier from a culture piece because they all already loved each other, wanted to work and wanted to do the little things,” Breton said. “They had the desire and a lot of times when you’re building a program, that’s what you have to bring in and we didn’t have to do that.”
With the win, UNK is now 2-4-3 in conference play, and are still needing to win as they are in 10th-place with three games to go. UNK is on the road at seventh-place Northeastern State and 11th-place Rogers State this weekend as the Lopers try to qualify for the MIAA tournament for the first time since the 2015 season.
