WSU remains undefeated on the road and solidifies a 6-1-1 record after two wins this weekend in Colorado. On Thursday, WSU notched a 2-0 win against Denver and on Sunday scored a 3-0 win against Northern Colorado.

In the first 20 minutes, Denver attempted five shots but none of them hit the net. After a few shots earlier on in the match, the Cougars regained the ball in the 21st minute, attempting multiple shots before scoring the first goal against Denver in the 25th minute. Fifth-year forward Elyse Bennett assisted fifth-year midfielder Sydney Pulver to her second goal of the season to open the scoring.

The Cougars retained control of the ball and attempted two more shots during the rest of the second half, but neither scored. At the end of the first period, Cougar sophomore forward Aniah Cutler received a yellow card.

The Pioneers and the Cougars traded the ball for a while before WSU junior forward Enzi Broussard, assisted by junior midfielder MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson, scored the second goal of the match in the 65th minute.

Three minutes later the game heated up when WSU head coach Todd Shulenberger received a yellow card followed by a yellow card to senior midfielder Sydney Studer in the 72nd minute and Mykiaa Minniss in the 85th minute. The game closed out with a shot by sophomore forward Alyssa Gray that went wide.

Freshman goalkeeper Nadia Cooper became the first true freshman in program history to record a shutout in her first two career starts.

“Anytime you win on the road is a big deal,” Shulenberger said postgame. “That’s our third big road win in a row here with San Diego State, Kansas and now DU which will pay off hopefully down the road.”

The match against Northern Colorado started off with immediate action when the Cougars scored a goal just a minute into the game. Senior defender Kelis Barton assisted junior midfielder Grayson Lynch to the first goal of the night.

The goal was the fastest goal scored for WSU since Makamae Gomera-Stevens scored the fastest goal in program history in 2019. Minutes later, Bennett scored another goal after fifth-year defender Brianna Alger passed her the ball.

“Two fantastic goals to start off the game — one by Grayson and one by Elyse,” Shulenberger said.

The final goal of the night came when Studer passed to Lynch, who kicked a shot through the hands of the Bears goalkeeper. The Cougars continued to try to score the rest of the match but did not manage another goal.

The win was the second all-time against the Bears and improved WSU to a 2-0 record against them. The game saw Bennett tie for seventh all-time goals scored in program history with 21 career goals.

Pulver moved into a tie for second all-time in games played with 85 appearances while her 78th career start tied for fourth all-time. Shulenberger was satisfied with the outcome of the game.

“We’re excited where we are at,” he said. “We gotta keep grinding this week and put some things together as we welcome in a great opponent to start Pac-12 play this weekend.”

Pac-12 play begins this week at 5 p.m. on Friday in Pullman against Arizona at the Lower Soccer Field. The game can be seen on the Pac-12 network with stats by StatBroadcast.