Washington State didn’t waste time turning Saturday into a breakthrough. The Cougars rolled past South Florida 4-1 at Lower Soccer Field, getting their first win of the season and giving Coach Chris Citowicki his first victory at WSU.
It was a sharp response after the Bulls briefly pulled level early in the second half. Washington State answered with three goals after that and never let the match drift back toward danger.
The Cougars set the tone from the start, spending the opening minutes on the front foot and working to keep their shape. That pressure paid off just past the 10-minute mark when freshman Delaney Hawkins beat a South Florida player to a ball in the box and drew a challenge from behind.
Lexi Lee stepped up at 12:36 and buried the penalty, giving WSU a 1-0 lead. It was the Cougars’ first goal of the season, Lee’s first as a Coug, and the fourth goal of her collegiate career.
South Florida had a hard time settling into the match in the first half, and the Bulls’ frustration showed in a string of fouls that led to a yellow card for the USF bench before the penalty kick. Washington State carried its 1-0 edge into halftime.
The Bulls got their own chance from the spot in the 62nd minute and converted to make it 1-1, but the tie didn’t last long. Hawkins struck again at 66:35, running onto a long through ball from Emma Widmor and finishing to put the Cougars back in front.
From there, WSU kept pouring it on. Meg Devall, playing out of right back, scored her first goal for the Cougars at 71:50, first-timing a clearance from the top of the box and driving it into the upper left corner to make it 3-1.
Makena Smith put the result away in the 77th minute, heading in a set piece from the six-yard box after Maddie Martin squared the ball across the area. Widmor got the service on the play and finished with her second assist of the match, making her the first Coug with a multi-assist game since Grayson Lynch had three assists on Nov. 9, 2024, against Pacific.
The win also arrived on a busy day around campus, with WSU’s Week of Welcome beginning Saturday and the opening of residence halls adding to the energy. By the final whistle, the Cougars had their first win in hand and a 4-1 result to show for it.
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