For the first time since the 2000 season, the Washington State soccer team will host an NCAA Tournament game, exceeding preseason expectations.

Although this will be the first home tournament game in more than a decade, Head Coach Keidane McAlpine said he has instead turned his focus to preparing for Illinois.

“We’ve got enough to prepare for,” he said. “I’m sure when everything is said and done I will be able to go back and reflect on (the berth), but Saturday we will be ready to go.”

McAlpine will enter the tournament for the third time as a head coach, and although each trip has felt different to him, the experience of playing at home will be a first.

“This one I’m excited (for) because we get to be in front of our home fans,” he said.

Midway through the season, the Cougars faced adversity with two tough home losses. However, the losses ignited a fire beneath the team and fueled them to five consecutive wins to close out the regular season and improve its tournament resume.

“I’m really proud of this team (for finishing that way),” McAlpine said. “We kept saying ‘finish five strong,’ in part because of our five seniors, and they really stepped up and led the way.”

Last year’s tournament team endured a first round exit at the hands of the Portland Pilots, but McAlpine sees a much improved team this year because of the players’ overall understanding of the scheme and team unity.

“The upperclassmen did a wonderful job of preparing the underclassmen in the offseason,” he said. “I think the drive toward success has been the difference.”

The Cougars face an unfamiliar opponent in the Illinois Fighting Illini, a team with a misleading record because it has had faced a tough schedule all season.

“They are very organized and have a couple tough strikers we are going to have to deal with,” McAlpine said. “They’re going to be quite the test.”

McAlpine, who has a reputation for being an offensive-minded coach, will need to rely on his back line to neutralize a tough Illinois offense, something he has no problem with as the WSU defense is on pace to set a school record for average goals against this season.

“We have a really great core of defense and a really experienced goalkeeper,” McAlpine said. “This team has bought into the fact that we can score goals as well as defend, which is the exciting part.”

The Cougars are undefeated in the last 24 home matches against unranked, nonconference opponents, according to Washington State Athletics.

The Saturday match on the Lower Soccer Field will start at 1 p.m.