The Cougs prepare to end their non-conference play on a high note this weekend as they look to extend their winning streak to six games.

WSU soccer (4-1-1) has their final two non-conference games of the season this weekend as they host Northern Colorado Thursday, then travel to Moraga, California to take on Saint Mary’s on Sunday. These are the last games before they travel to play Oregon State on Sept. 23 to start their conference schedule.

WSU is coming off a 3-2 victory over the Cal Poly Mustangs. WSU came from behind twice to tie the game then took the lead in the 74th minute to win 3-2.

WSU took 29 shots in the game. The Cougs have taken 15 plus shots in every regular season game so far this season. Grayson Lynch earned her third goal of the season for WSU and Margie Detrizio put herself in second place in the conference with four assists after she had two against Cal Poly.

Another note from the game is that senior MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson earned her first assist of the season, giving her more confidence as she prepares for conference play next week.

Thursday is when WSU hosts Northern Colorado. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at the Lower Soccer Field.

Overall, WSU is 2-0 all-time against Northern Colorado. The first meeting was in Los Angeles in 2004 as WSU won 3-2. The most recent matchup was in September 2021 in Greeley, Colorado where WSU won 3-0.

This season, Northern Colorado is 4-2-2. Their first regular season game was a 2-0 win at home against Wyoming. In Kansas, Northern Colorado tied 1-1 with Kansas State. After a 4-0 win against North Dakota and a 1-1 tie with Valparaiso, Northern Colorado went on a two-game winning streak against Omaha and North Dakota State.

Their last two games have been losses, one was 2-1 against James Madison and the other was 5-2 against Virginia Tech. Northern Colorado does not have an away win so far this season, their four wins have all been at home.

Northern Colorado is led by Lauren Woodhull who has five goals so far this season in eight games. Britney Donais leads the team with three assists. Goalkeeper Kaya Lindberg has played eight games and has allowed nine goals with 41 saves.

Against Saint Mary’s WSU is 0-1 all-time. The only matchup came in 2001 in Las Vegas where Saint Mary’s won 3-2.

This season, Saint Mary’s is 4-1-2. Their first regular season match of the season was a 3-1 home victory against Cal Poly. The Gaels then defeated UCSB 1-0 at home before losing 2-0 to University of California-Berkeley. Saint Mary’s two ties were against Texas Tech and San Diego State. Before taking on WSU Sunday the Gaels will host Pennsylvania on Thursday.

Saint Mary’s is led by Emily Jensen who has four goals on the season. Nayeli Diaz has three goals for the Gaels as well this season. Diaz leads the team with four assists while Jensen has two. Goalkeeper Taylor Poland has allowed seven goals and has 25 saves so far this season.

These are the last two non-conference matchups before conference play starts next week for the Cougs. The first home conference match of 2022 will be Sept. 29 when WSU hosts the Colorado Buffaloes.