WSU soccer (3-1-1) had two more games this week with one home and one away game.

Thursday saw the Cougs travel to Seattle to take on Seattle U, then headed home Sunday as they hosted the Denver Pioneers. 

The game against Seattle U was a nail-biter WSU struck first early, but Seattle U answered early in the second half to tie the game. The game stayed tied until the final minute of the game when the Cougs found the back of the net and won the game 2-1. 

The game against Denver saw the Cougs dominate from start to finish, scoring three goals in the first and another in the second to score four goals in the game. Two defensive mishaps made the final score 4-2.

“Winning is contagious, scoring is contagious, we gotta keep shooting to get the ball in the net,” head coach Todd Shulenberger said postgame.

WSU vs. Seattle U:

WSU was in complete control during the first half of the game, taking eight shots in the half compared to one from Seattle U. Of the Cougs eight shots in the first half they had three on target, including a goal in the 20th minute from Grayson Lynch. The goal was assisted by Margie Detrizio. This was Lynch’s first goal of the season. 

The first half saw two corners from the Cougs compared to zero from Seattle U. Both teams committed six fouls in the first half of the game.

Seattle U started to get into an offensive flow early in the second half, scoring the tying goal in the 62nd minute. The goal was scored by Kaylee Coatney, her first of the season.

The Cougs earned five yellow cards in the game, all of them coming in the second half. Two of the five cards came in the 90th minute and were given to the WSU team/bench. 

WSU had nine shots in the second half compared to three for Seattle U. WSU took eight corner kicks in the second half and forced two saves on three shots on target in the half. Their third shot on target came in the 90th minute. There were only 47 seconds left in the game when Jenna Studer scored her first goal of the season and first goal in a cougar uniform. The goal was assisted by Mykiaa Minniss. 

After Studer scored, the Cougs held on for one minute, and secured all three points against Seattle U. They kept the win streak alive as they headed home to take on Denver.

WSU vs. Denver:

WSU started the game against Denver on the offensive forefront, taking four shots in the first five minutes of the game with two on target, one resulting in a goal from Detrizio that was assisted by Alyssa Gray and Minniss. This was Detrizios’ fourth goal of the season. 

After the quick start from the Cougs, there were no shots until the 17th minute when Detrizios’ shot went over the bar for the Cougs. That shot gave the Cougs confidence as they quickly took five more shots with all of them off target.

In the 25th minute, the Cougs doubled their lead off a goal from Sydney Studer and assist from Detrizio and Bridget Rieken. This was Studer’s second goal of the season. 

In the 44th minute, the Cougs scored their third goal of the half from Marin Whieldon, her first of the season. The goal was assisted by Lily Boyden, the freshman from Salt Lake City. 

Denver did not register a shot until the 26th minute, the shot was blocked for a Denver corner where they came up empty. That was the only shot by Denver in the first half. WSU took 16 shots in the first half with four on target and three goals. Both teams took one corner kick in the half. 

Sydney Studer led all players with five shots with two on target for the Cougs. Detrizio had four shots with a goal in the first half. 

The second half was a similar start as the first for the Cougs. Jenna Studer had a header off a corner saved by Denver in the 47th minute. Detrizio got her first shot of the half in the 50th minute but it was off target.

Denver finally got on the board in the 58th minute off a goal from Sami Feller to cut the lead by one to make the score 3-1. WSU answered in the 83rd minute with a goal from Lynch to extend the lead to 4-1. Lindsey Turner got the assist.

Denver scored in the 90th minute off a defensive mistake from the Cougs to make the lead 4-2. The goal was scored by Camryn MacMillan. Feller assisted the goal for Denver. 

The Cougs lost focus giving up a goal in the final minute but won the game 4-2. The Cougs defense played the ball back to WSU goalie Nadia Cooper who could not handle the pass properly and lost possession to the Denver forward who took the ball inside the box and passed it to MacMillan for the easy tap-in finish. 

WSU took 27 shots in the game compared to the seven from Denver. Cooper let in two goals and made two saves including one in the 87th minute from close range to keep the three-goal lead. WSU forced three saves from the Denver goalie in the game. 

The first yellow card of the game came in the 50th minute as Gray had a hard collision with a Denver player resulting in a card. Denver got their first yellow card in the 54th minute with a foul right outside of the box. The freekick from the foul drew a great save from the Denver goalie as she pushed it out for a corner kick which came to nothing. 

“We’ve had a result four straight games now so there’s a lot to leave here positive about,” Shulenberger said postgame. 

The next time the Cougs take the field will be Sunday as they host Cal Poly and look to extend their winning streak as well as stay undefeated at home. Kickoff is set for noon on Sunday at the Lower Soccer Field.