K-State soccer embracing a tougher, faster identity in 2025

MANHATTAN (KSNT) — There’s a new energy around K-State soccer this fall — and it starts at the top.

Colleen Corbin, named the second K-State head coach in December 2024, is wasting no time putting her stamp on the program.

After taking over in the offseason, Corbin has made conditioning, discipline, and accountability the foundation of preseason training.

For a team that lost six matches by just one goal last season, the shift is being felt — and welcomed.

"We're going to press and we're going to run at people," Corbin said. "We have some elite athletes in front line that we expect to make opposing backlines uncomfortable."

K-State finished 2024 with a 3-12-3 record and struggled to close out tight matches.

Corbin, who previously helped Saint Louis to a 15-2-6 overall record with Atlantic 10 regular season and conference tournament titles, says small margins come down to preparation and mental toughness — both areas she’s prioritized from day one.

Players say they’ve noticed a difference. The team’s pace and physical demands have ramped up, and so has the intensity.

“We are more fit than any K-State team I've been apart of so far," junior defender Reece Walrod told 27 News. "Being more fit is going to give us an edge in those final 10 minutes when you have to keep pushing forward and trying to score."

The Wildcats open its season at home Aug. 14 against Oral Roberts.