The Washington State women’s soccer team gets a quick chance to reset Saturday night, when South Florida comes to Lower Soccer Field for a 6 p.m. matchup on August 15.
It’s a first for both programs. WSU and USF have never met on the soccer pitch, so Saturday brings the inaugural meeting between the Cougars and Bulls, two teams separated by the country but linked now in a home-and-home series that will send the return match to Tampa next season.
For Washington State, the focus is simple: respond after Wednesday’s season opener went sideways early. Idaho came out flying, struck for three straight goals in the opening 10 minutes, and the Cougars spent the rest of the night trying to steady themselves. WSU settled in after that stretch, but the damage was done in a 3-0 loss.
“There has to be a visceral response from our team,” said WSU Head Coach Chris Citowicki after the match Wednesday. “We can whine and complain, or we can come together and learn from this loss.”
Ashlyn Dvorak, a senior transfer, got the start in goal and made three saves in her Cougar debut. She was one of eight starters who followed Citowicki to the Palouse from Montana. That group also included returning Cougar sophomores Delanie Corcoran, Maddie Martin, and Meg Devall.
Washington State also leaned on a big influx of new faces. Ten true freshmen arrived in the program between the start of the spring semester and mid-June, and five of them saw their first college action against Idaho: Calli Holje, Kate Spangler, Isabella Amado, Raina Tifft, and Delaney Hawkins.
The Cougars entered the season with some outside recognition as well. Earlier this month, Dvorak, Lexi Lee, and Carly Whalen were named to the Preseason Pac-12 Impact List, and the team was picked to finish fifth by the conference coaches.
South Florida comes in off its own difficult opener. The Bulls made the cross-country trip earlier this week and dropped a 5-1 decision to Gonzaga on Wednesday night in Spokane.
Saturday’s match also lands on a busy day around campus. It is the first day of WSU Move-In, with residence halls opening, and the first day of WSU Pullman’s Week of Welcome. Surf Club soccer will be on hand for Youth Soccer Night, with a limited supply of mini foam fingers and soccer pins available.
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Emma Widmors two assists stood out in a match that could have tilted the other way when South Florida briefly pulled level. Instead, Washington State kept pressing and found the kind of second-half surge that can steady a team early in the year, giving the Cougars something real to build on as the schedule moves forward. [Read more 🡒]