WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (2-2) vs IC IRVINE ANTEATERS (1-4-1)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 at 7 PM PT // 10 PM ET
PULLMAN, WASH. at LOWER SOCCER FIELD
LIVE ON ESPN+ // WSU.STATBROADCAST.COM
PLAY x PLAY GREG HEISTER // PRODUCER GEOFF BUTLER
KICKOFF NOTES
The Cougars welcome the Anteaters of UC Irvine for a Thursday evening clash in Pullman. Wazzu hosts the Anteaters at Lower Soccer Field for '90s Night with kickoff scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PT on ESPN+ with Greg Heister on the call.
Wazzu and UCI meet for the sixth time and second time on the Palouse. After dropping the first meeting between the programs in 1991, the Cougs have won the previous four meetings, but just once this century when WSU won 4-0 in 2013.
Head Coach Todd Shulenberger earned his 100th win Sunday, Aug. 25, with a 2-1 win against Idaho. Shulenberger, in his 10th season at the helm of the Cougar soccer program, boasts a 100-56-23 record. Shulenberger became the 140th active head coach to reach 100 career wins and the 44th to hit the century mark at a single school.
Against the Big West, WSU holds a 20-9-1 record with the majority of the matches (16) coming against Cal Poly and Hawaii. The last Wazzu meeting against a Big West team was Sept. 11, 2022 in Pullman, Wash., when WSU defeated Cal Poly, 3-2. Current Cougs Lindsey Turner and Grayson Lynch both scored in that match.
Cougar soccer was named No. 21 on SoccerWire.com's list of the Top 50 most successful women's soccer programs in the country over the last five years.
Last time on the pitch the Cougs fell at No. 2 Stanford 0-2, Sept. 1, despite a strong performance outpossessing the Cardinal, with 13 corner kicks, and a penalty save from Nadia Cooper.
Starting at Stanford, Nadia Cooper moved to fourth in career goalkeeping minutes in WSU history with 5,133 minutes spent between the pipes. The senior eclipsed 5,000 minutes played in the previous home match, beating Idaho.
Cooper increased her career total to 174 saves, sixth in Cougar goalkeeping history. Cooper also sits fifth in WSU history with 28 career wins and her cleansheet against Montana, Aug. 22, marked her 15th career shutout.
True freshman Kendall Campbell makes first college start at No. 2 Stanford. The California native has played every match and scored her first collegiate goal against Montana, netting the second goal in a 3-0 win in the home opener.
Nadia Cooper was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 26 for her performance in the wins over Montana and Idaho. Cooper eclipsed 5,000 career minutes played, moved to sixth in school history with 168 career saves, and fifth with 28 career wins and 15 career shutouts. The honor was Cooper's third career weekly conference honor, having been named Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week twice as a freshman in 2021.
The West Coast Conference welcomed Washington State as an affiliate member in women's soccer for the 2024 and 2025 soccer seasons, alongside Oregon State.
In the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars were selected to finish second, behind nationally-ranked No. 22 Santa Clara, with a pair of first-place votes.
Two Cougars earned WCC preseason honors with senior forward Grayson Lynch and sophom*ore midfielder Reagan Kotschau named to the WCC Preseason Team.
Six Cougs have debuted this season, with four debuts in the season opener at Purdue, August 15. Transfers Julianna Duckett and Maggie Mace made their Wazzu debuts in the starting lineup. Ashly Berge made her Cougar debut as a substitute in the 31st minute and true freshman Kendall Campbell entered as a first-half sub. Fifth year transfers Sophie Beadle and Raniyah Burton both made WSU debuts in the home-opening win against Montana.
Several Cougs reached match milestones, including Grayson Lynch playing her 80th all-time match against Montana and her 50th career start against Idaho. Raniyah Burton's WSU debut against Montana was also her 60th career collegiate match, as she went on to score less than three minutes after entering the pitch. Sophie Beadle subbed on late in the second half against Montana for her 70th college match. Lindsey Turner played her 40th career match as a Coug against the Griz, while Jenna Studer made her 40th collegiate start, Sept. 1, at Stanford.
Jenna Studer and Grayson Lynch returned from injury after 12 months away from the pitch. Studer returned for a full 90 shift in West Lafayette, 361 days removed from a season-ending injury at Texas A&M, Aug. 20, 2023. Lynch started up front for the first time in 357 days, having suffered an ACL injury in the win at Portland last August.
Six transfers arrived in Pullman to reload the Cougar roster, including three graduate students, one fifth-year senior, one true senior, and one junior. All five field players have seen the pitch for the Cougs with just transfer goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald sidelined due to injury.
The last two Cougar shutouts have both involved Reese Tappan delivering an assist for the win. Last October, Tappan assisted on the game-winning goal over Colorado. Against Montana Thursday night, Tappan assisted on the game-winner in the first half for her fifth-career assist.
Follow WSU soccer on social media for the latest information on the Cougar program. Search @wsucougarsoccer on your favorite social platform or visit wsucougars.com.
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