WSU soccer defeated Eastern Washington 4-0 on Aug. 28 in front of 2,243 fans, solidifying a 1-0-1 season record and a 7-0-0 all-time record over Eastern in the process. The game went nearly half an hour without goals but the Cougars earned three goals in short succession.

Within the 28 minutes before the first goal, the Cougars shot 11 times. They attempted three shots before putting one in the back of the net. WSU sophomore Margie Detrizio attempted two shots, which were both saved by Eagles senior goalkeeper Kelsee Winston.

In between Detrizio’s shots, Cougar junior midfielder Grayson Lynch tried to score but was blocked. Soon after, sophomore forward Alyssa Gray scored. Gray led the game in scoring two goals and one assist. 

“She’s one of our most dynamic attackers for sure,” said head coach Todd Shulenberger. “It’s a matter of time before that kid starts going. She’s got a bright future ahead here.” 

Detrizio assisted Gray. In the 34th minute, sophomore Jayla Land scored her first career goal for the Cougars. Two minutes later, Gray scored her second goal with assists from Elaily Hernandez-Repreza and Marin Whieldon.

In the 37th minute, Eagles defender Mya Elder-Hammond received a yellow card. Gray attempted another shot for the Cougars a minute later, but it was blocked. At halftime, the Cougars had attempted 16 shots and were in possession of the ball for over half the game. 

At halftime, the Cougars substituted six players and the Eagles substituted four players. Early in the second period of the game, another Eagle, junior forward Maddie Morgan, received a yellow card.

WSU fifth-year Elyse Bennett, assisted by teammates Gray and junior forward Enzi Broussard, scored a goal in the 49th minute. It was her first goal of the season and her 17th career strike.

“It was good to get some goals here,” Shulenberger said. “Again, last week we left some out there, obviously. Twenty-nine shots this week.” 

Even though that was the last goal the Cougars would score, they continued to try to get the ball in the net. Bennett tried to score again minutes later but was blocked. This was quickly followed by another attempt by junior midfielder MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson. 

Immediately after, three WSU Cougars — senior midfielder Sydney Studer, Broussard and Bennett — attempted shots. After a foul on WSU, Bennett attempted another shot, which was saved by Eastern’s Winston. 

After another foul on the Cougars, WSU sophomore forward Aniah Cutler attempted a shot in the 61st minute but the attempt went wide. After many shots by the Cougars, Eastern finally attempted their first shot of the night.

In the 67th minute, Eastern freshman Anessa Campos tried to score but the ball went wide. It was one of just three shots by the Eagles. Eagle sophomore Angela Cipriano and fifth-year Sariah Keister attempted goals in the 80th and 85th minutes, respectively. 

“That was pretty impressive,” Schulenberger said about the Cougars blocking any goal attempts by the Eagles until nearly 70 minutes into the game. 

WSU managed to regain control of the ball after Keister’s attempt but were unable to attempt another shot in the last 5 minutes of the game. The win saw the Cougars remain undefeated for their second game of the season. 

The win was a team effort with 27 total players in the game that night and five Cougars debuting. Freshmen Nadia Cooper, Macey Formanek and Brae Cole — along with transfers Isabella Weaver and Megan Sullivan — played their first game for the Cougars.

Shulenberger said he is confident for the next game and is excited to get on the road with a mature group. He said he was appreciative of the packed house for the second home game in a row. 

This week, the Cougars play San Diego State at 7 p.m. Thursday in San Diego and Hawai’i at 1 p.m. Sunday in Pullman. The San Diego State game can be viewed on the Mountain West Network and the Hawai’i game can be viewed on the Pac-12 Network with live stats on StatBroadcast.