For the second time in three weeks, Emporia State has named a new head coach to its athletic department. Yesterday,

Bryan Sailer smiles as his son Brayden applauds after Sailer is announced head coach of ESU soccer Wednesday afternoon at Sauder Alumni Center. Kellen Jenkins/ The Bulletin

 Bryan Sailer was named the new head soccer coach at ESU. From the opening statement, Sailer was excited for the opportunity.

            “I’m here to develop something special,” Sailer said. “I’m here to bring what I know and know I can do to Emporia State, and that excites me greatly.”

            A coaching profile that includes multiple levels of coaching experience, Sailer has a combined record of 244-68-12 in his career as a head coach. After coaching at the high school level in Colorado for 10 years, Sailer came to Kansas where he began his career at Barton Community College in Great Bend.

            Sailer was named the Jayhawk Conference Coach of the year in 2008 and went on to hold a 59-23-2 record at Barton. In 2008, Sailer led the Cougars to the KJCAA Championships and an 18-4 overall record.

            Not only does Sailer bring a winning record as well as enthusiasm to Emporia, he plans on expanding his recruitment process internationally as well, something he has done in the past.

            “It’s a universal sport,” Sailer said. “I’ve had players from about 10 different countries. If you have a couple of international players, they all play different styles in what they’re used to, and mixing that in is tough to defend. It could be very dynamic.”

            Director of Athletics Kent Weiser echoed the excitement that recruiting internationally brings to both the soccer program and the ESU campus.

            “That possibility is exciting,” Weiser said. “A lot of times you can get kids (who) just want a chance to play in college. And you can get some really quality players without the scholarship costs if you know where to look, and they get a chance to go to school in the U.S. He’ll exhaust all possibilities. I’m sure of that.”

            Sailer’s strength in his resume comes from turning around the soccer program at Barton something that will have to be done here at ESU. Last season the Hornets struggled to break ties in going 1-11-6 and tying the MIAA record for ties in a season.

Sophomore Midfielder Ashley Hill noted the excitement that Sailer’s resume brings to the current Hornets.

            “I think he’s going to do a really good at attacking to get our numbers up instead of just playing defense most of the time like we have been for a while,” Hill said.

            Despite the work that has to be done, Sailer said that ESU will be a good sell for future recruits.

            “(ESU) is a very good sell,” Sailer said. “I’m selling the future… and you’re selling the fact that you’re going to be part of something special. We’re going to do this together, and we’re going to turn this thing around, and we’re going to do it the right way.”

 Brandon Schneeberger

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The Hornets took on the Bearcats of South West Baptist University despite the rain last Thursday. After falling behind quickly in the first half, ESU lost the match 5-2.

The Hornets spent most of the game battling from behind as the Bearcats opened up with a goal in the first seven minutes by Ashley Creason. Creason would waste no time scoring her second goal three minutes later.

Troubles continued for the Hornets after Marene Gomez of SBU scored only minutes after Creason’s second goal. Jim Schneiderhahn, the head coach for the Hornets, recognized the slow start.

“We were more concerned with other things,” Schneiderhahn said. “I don’t know if it was the fact that this was a school day, or if it was the dreary weather or what the deal was. I didn’t see what we needed to be successful in the first 20 minutes.”

Despite the slow start, the Hornets would battle back with a goal of their own by junior defender Hollie Schletzbaum.

“I had like a foot of space to play the ball in and I just didn’t want to miss,” Schletzbaum said.

ESU had another shot at a goal late in the first after a shot by sophomore forward Ashley Hill went wide off the opposing goalie’s gloves.

The second half started much like the first as SBU scored in the first couple of minutes on a goal by Haley Edgar. Creason would follow with her third goal giving her a hat-trick on the day.

Though the deficit would prove to be too much for the Hornets to comeback against, they were able find the back of the net in the second half after a goal by Ashley Hill.

“Everybody was confused because they thought it was an offsides, but Sarah (Anderson) crossed it and (I) just played it in the goal,” Hill said. “We just need to work on having our mentality coming into the game ready to play and coming out from the very start.”

The Hornets last opportunity to score would come on a shot by Lauren Cathey late in the second half. With this loss ESU drops to 0-2-1 on the season, losing their second in a row.

“We can’t come out here and be flat,” Schneiderhahn said. “That’s two in a row. We have to sort out what is going to get us motivated to play.”

The Hornets will face North West Missouri on Sept. 19 for their next home match.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The Emporia State Hornets came up short in their second outing this season against the East Central Tigers. After falling behind early, the Hornets were unable to catch up, eventually losing the match 2-0.

Head Coach Jim Schneiderhahn noticed the same problems that plagued the Hornets Friday evening. Despite producing more shot attempts, the Hornets continued to lack aggressive play in the attacking third.

“We have to be smarter in the shots we take. We’ve got to be more willing to take risks in the attacking third,”  Schneiderhahn said. “We can work on shooting all day long, but at the end of it, it comes to making the decision to put the ball on frame, and we’re not doing it right now.”

Defensively the Hornets showed improvement throughout the game. In the first half, Sarah Duvall wasted no time scoring the first goal for the Tigers on an assist from Molly Hummel in the first 15 minutes. Later that half Hummel scored the second goal for the Tigers.

The Hornets showed their resiliency on defense allowing only one shot during the second half.

“Defensively… I thought that we started to sort it out. I think that they need to be stronger on the ball. We had too many people picking themselves off the floor for us today,” Schneiderhahn said.

The second half showed more promise for the hornets offensively as well. Although unable to cash in on her opportunities, midfielder Hannah Carlson showed promise in her second career game for the Hornets.

“The pace was so fast. I was trying to get in there and get one for us, but unfortunately it didn’t fall my way but hopefully next time,” Carlson said. “We didn’t show up today, but I know we’re capable of much more. We need to be that team that scores first and set the pace of the game and not let the other team set it for us.”

The Hornets were led on offense by Jessica Decker with four shots. Ashley Hill, Hannah Carlson, Kylie McCullough, and Amanda Penney each added one shot to the total. Although outshot nine to three in the first half, the hornets generated five shots to the Tigers one in the second half.

“(Our) main concerns (would) probably be connecting with our forwards. We haven’t done that so well, so hopefully we’ll do some drills helping us connect with them,” said Decker.

Going forward the Hornets look to improve before playing Southwest Baptist at home Thursday at 4 p.m.

Brandon Schneeberger

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The Emporia State soccer team added another loss against the Washburn Lady Blues on Nov. 1 at the ESU Pitch, 1-2. Now ESU (1-15-1 on the season) is faced with a 12 game losing streak.

ESU has not had a win since they defeated Missouri Western, 1-0, on Sep. 17.

ESU played very aggressively during their first possession. They got a first corner kick chance and missed the shot on the goal. Even though they did not make the goal, the team was still confident. The Lady Blues’ luck was absent – a shot by WU from the middle distance in the first half hit the crossbar.

However, Washburn dominated the game with their good pass work skills. They shot the ball seven times during just eight minutes. It was a one sided game. WU kept the ball nearly the entire match. Junior goalkeeper Katrina Goscha was very busy, while the Washburn goal keeper was doing nothing. Goscha showed great defense; she did not allow any goals in the first half, even though WU tried nine shots. Near the end of the first half, senior forward Tina Commons had many chances to score, but she did not succeed. ESU finished the first half 0-0.

WU kept pushing against ESU in the second half. Finally the tie was broken at minute 73. Washburn forward Keeley Lambeth shot the ball high at the right corner. The ball went into the net over Goscha’s hand.

“It was an unfortunate goal,” Goscha said. “It was a real fluke.”

WU was never satisfied with their first goal. Nine minutes after their first goal, they had a second chance. Washburn forward Tia Stovall made a second score with her right in-step kick assisted by midfielder Ashley Taylor.

The Hornets never gave up. They were trying to keep attacking even though they did not have enough time to upset the Lady Blues. Commons shot the ball in front of the goal area at the 87th minute –the ball hit the left side of the goal net, which brought the score to 1-2, but there was no time to celebrate.

ESU did not have enough fire power for the game. Freshmen forwards Ashley Hill (four goals on the season) and Amanda Penny could not play due to illness and family-related issues.

“I appreciate to the effort of players,” said Head Coach Jim Schneiderhahn. “This game really showed we were lacking who is missing right now. It is a personal concern. We missed some players because of flu and family things. We were just short handed.”

Commons had a good performance by making her second goal of the season. Her first goal of this season was also against Washburn on Oct.15.

“I am definitely not so happy,” Commons said. “I got a lot of chances and enough opportunities. We had to score before first goal.”

Schneiderhahn was satisfied with her Commons’ play.

“Tina is tremendous,” Schneiderhahn said. “She started a little slowly this year comeback from off-season surgery. The last three weeks, she was a one of the most consistent players…she does simple things very well. We should do that more to compete.”

The Hornets now have two more games in the season. The team would like to get their first home game win in front of many ESU students. Schneiderhahn has a strong belief in his players – he does not feel any pressure about the 12-game losing streak

“I think pressure is self imposed,” Schneiderhahn said. “I can not look at that and worry about it. My job is to try and coach the girls to my best ability and hopefully be successful…it is about us trying to succeed.”

Schneiderhahn has a confidence about rest of his season, as well.

“We’ve got two more games,” Schneiderhahn said. “We try to prove to everybody that we are not as bad as we look. We are looking at the big picture. It is lucky that we have more opportunities to prove ourselves.”

JungHwan Seo/The Bulletin

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Midfielder/Forward Lauren Cathey looks to pass Sunday afternoon on the ESU Pitch. The Hornets fell to the Mavericks 1-4. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

The Emporia State University Hornets soccer team fell short to the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks by 4-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Hornets had seven shots on goal for the day, while holding the Mavericks to only 12.

Freshman midfielder/defender Ashley Hill scored the lone goal for the Hornets from a pass from senior forward Tina Commons during the 44^th minute of the match. The goal was Hill’s fourth of the season, while Commons added her first assist.

The Hornets had a total of nine shots on the day, seven on goal. Commons led the way for the Hornets on the day with three shots, followed closely by senior forward/midfielder Amanda Miano with two. Hill, senior goal keeper Katrina Goscha, senior midfielder/forward Raquel White, and sophomore midfielder/forward Sarah Anderson all had one shot.

Freshman goal keeper Nikki Schmitz had a total of eight saves on the day, allowing four goals.

Although the team fell short on the afternoon, they looked much more physical than in previous outings.

“Our defense especially has been working on being more physical, but as a team in general we’re trying to be more physical,” Commons said. “Sometimes we do get pushed around, and we can’t take that. We’re in college soccer and we can’t get bullied around.”

Injuries also seem to plague the Hornets this year, with three starters already out, and a fourth going down right before the game. Head Coach Jim Schneiderhahn doesn’t seem to be worried about playing his reserve players.

“Hard work is not an option,” Schneiderhahn said. “Regardless, if we had two subs on the sideline or 20, you ask any coach, hard work is not an option – it’s a requirement.”

Forward Amanda Penney works to shoot past a defender Sunday afternoon on the ESU Pitch. The Hornets fell to the Mavericks 1-4. Kellen Jenkins/The Bulletin.

The Hornets were playing the ball and playing defensively stronger than they had in past games.

“It’s our own field, so we have our own little mentality of how the ball is going to be played, and where it’s going to be played,” Commons said. “Especially with your own team, you can see and feel where it’s going to be played at.”

The Hornets still are optimistic about the upcoming games.

“We have to keep working hard, keep our heads up,” Hill said.

“They say losing is character building, we’ve got a lot of character over the past two years,” Schneiderhahn said. “I think losing is certainly a harsher critic, where your mistakes are exposed. I think in the euphoria of wins, you have a tendency to overlook your mistakes or discount them a little bit. We continue to look at film, make adjustments and get better. We still need some other players to give us a hand. The biggest thing I take from it; I like the way that we’re battling. As I told the girls after the game, I have no qualms with the effort in the past matches. I have no disappointment and I’m not ticked off with the lack of effort. It’s nice to see, because sometime we haven’t had that.”

The Hornets will be back in action at 2 p.m. Oct. 22 at the ESU pitch against the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats.

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