The Washington State women’s soccer team keeps moving, and this trip sends the Cougars to Fullerton, California for their third straight match away from Pullman. Kickoff against Cal State Fullerton is set for 2 p.m. at Titan Stadium, with the match streaming on ESPN+.
WSU and the Titans have already crossed paths three times, and the Cougars have had the edge in the series. The last meeting in Fullerton came on September 20, 2013, when Washington State left with a 1-0 win. Two years later, on September 13, 2015, the Cougars beat Cal State Fullerton in Pullman, 2-1, in double overtime.
Washington State comes in off a 0-0 draw against Hawai’i to close the OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi. Ashlyn Dvorak posted her second clean sheet as a Cougar, turning aside four shots, while WSU finished with seven shots against the Bows.
Cal State Fullerton, meanwhile, beat Portland at home on Sunday, September 6. That match stayed scoreless through the first half before Cassie Villaneva broke through in the 79th minute for her fourth goal of the season. The Titans finished with 16 shots, including six on target.
After this road stretch, the Cougars head back to the Lower Soccer Field on Wednesday, September 16, for their first home match this month. Seattle U visits at 6 p.m. after the Redhawks face Pac-12 opponent Oregon State. The match will be available on YouTube.
WSU has also gotten early contributions from a handful of newcomers and emerging players. True freshman Delaney Hawkins scored her first career goal in her first career start Aug. 15 in the win over USF, after drawing the challenge that led to the first-half penalty and the opening goal. The Scottsdale, Arizona native later set up the game-winner against UC Irvine before scoring again in the final minute, with her goal at 89 minutes and eight seconds tying for the ninth-latest regulation goal in program history.
Redshirt-junior Meg Devall waited through the 2025 season before earning a starting role on the back line for 2026. The West Linn, Oregon native started both opening-weekend matches and scored her first career goal in the win over USF.
In goal, redshirt-senior Ashlyn Dvorak picked up her first clean sheet and first win as a Cougar against UC Irvine on Aug. 27, 2026, making four saves and finishing with a 1.000 save percentage in the 2-0 victory. That was WSU’s first win over UC Irvine since Sept.
22, 2013. She added another shutout at Hawai’i, bringing her career total to 25.
The Cougars’ early-season numbers have also moved in the right direction. Through five matches, their shot differential improved from minus-5 in the opener against Idaho to plus-5 against UC Irvine on Aug. 27.
Washington State’s roster looks very different this season. The Cougars brought in 23 new faces after the coaching change, including 13 transfers and 10 true freshmen, while retaining eight returnees.
Seven freshmen have already made their college debuts, and 17 student-athletes have appeared for WSU for the first time. In the opener against Idaho, 17 Cougs made their WSU debuts, including nine in the starting lineup, and five freshmen played their first college match.
There’s also a family thread running through the roster. Sophomore Aaya McLyn switched to No. 20 this season, following in the footsteps of her sister Aaqila McLyn, who wore that number for five seasons with the Cougars and was part of the team’s run to the College Cup semifinals in 2019.
The captain’s group is made up of seniors Riley Carolan, Ashlyn Dvorak, Keara Fitzgerald, and Makena Smith. Carolan and Delaney Hawkins both come from football families at Washington State: Brett Carolan played tight end alongside Drew Bledsoe before a three-year NFL career, while Adam Hawkins was a team captain and played running back with NFL legend Steve Gleason. Delaney Hawkins is also Gleason’s god-daughter.
At the top of the program, Chris Citowicki was named the eighth head coach in WSU soccer history on December 12, 2025, after eight seasons at Montana. He led the Griz to nine Big Sky Championships, including three straight regular-season titles, and finished there with a 79-39-32 record and four NCAA postseason appearances. He was the 2023 Big Sky Coach of the Year.
The goalkeeping room has also been a major storyline. Sidney Venier stepped in for the injured Dvorak, who is out with a cracked rib, and earned her first career win in the victory over South Florida after making four saves and allowing only a penalty kick. Venier also started both road matches last weekend and picked up her first career shutout in a scoreless draw at North Dakota State on Sunday, August 23, in Fargo, N.D.
Keara Fitzgerald returned to the group as a sixth-year senior after starting last season before a season-ending injury against North Dakota State on September 18. Her standout performance came with a career-high 11 saves in a shutout at California, the most by a Cougar goalkeeper in five seasons, a showing that earned her WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
She also added an assist in the draw with No. 13 Georgia on August 31, the second assist of her career.
In Other News...
WSU Brings Back A Look Fans Have Learned To Worry About
Washington State is dusting off a familiar road look for its meeting with Kansas State, going back to the white icy white combination that has become a talking point with fans. The set includes white helmets with crimson logos, white jerseys and white pants, and it was unveiled this week with Jaylen Thomas, a third-year player who transferred from San Jose State, serving as the model.
For a lot of Cougars fans, the appeal of the clean all-white look comes with a little hesitation, because the results in it have been uneven in recent seasons. Washington States last regular-season win while wearing the uniform dates back to 2021, so this trip to face Kansas State gives the Cougars another chance to make the outfit look a little more like a statement and a little less like a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Faces An Early Road Test With No Margin For Error
Washington State heads into its trip to Kansas State already carrying a few extra burdens. The Cougars have had a short week to get ready, they face a difficult travel schedule, and the offense is still searching for answers after uneven play has left little room for error. Special teams also loom large in a game like this, especially against a Kansas State program that has long made that phase of the game a strength.
The concern only deepens with Tony Freeman in danger of missing the game because of a knee injury, leaving Washington State without its top receiver and kick returner. That puts even more pressure on the players asked to fill those roles, and the margin gets thinner still when the return game is already an issue. On the other side, Kansas State has been one of the nations more dangerous teams in that area for years, which makes this opener feel less like a tune-up and more like an early test of how much the Cougars can absorb. [Read more 🡒]
Washington States Upset Hopes Ride On One Defensive Swing
Washington State heads into its matchup with Kansas State as a heavy underdog, with the Wildcats installed as 17 1/2-point favorites, but the Cougars do have a path if they can make the game ugly. The defensive front will be under the spotlight, especially the edge rushers against Kansas States tackles, because Washington State needs pressure to slow the Wildcats and keep the game within reach.
The offense, meanwhile, has to find more consistency even before accounting for its latest personnel concerns. Top receiver Tony Freeman is likely out with a knee injury suffered in the first quarter of the Apple Cup, leaving the Cougars thinner in a spot where they could have used a reliable target, and the real swing factor may come on the other side of the ball if Washington State can create turnovers and give itself extra possessions. [Read more 🡒]