The WSU Men’s Soccer Club dominated the Northwest Cup at the Vally Play Fields in Pullman this weekend. The Cougs went 4-0, taking down the rest of the tournament’s competition and winning the Northwest Cup for the second year in a row.
Despite the major success, WSU goalkeeper Scott Stevison said the team did not want to underestimate the tournament.
“We knew that we were coming into the tournament with a lot of talent top to bottom, but the others teams were coming in with talent as well,” Stevison said. “That being said, we needed to play well as a cohesive unit to come out on top this weekend.”
WSU kicked off its run with a strong 2-0 victory over Montana State University on Feb. 21. The Cougars came out energized, setting the tone early in the match. Isaiah Reano scored a quick goal in the first half to put Wazzu up 1-0. The second half continued the momentum of the first with some early offense from the Cougars. Ben Hanson scored a second goal putting WSU up 2-0. Montana State pushed forward in the final minutes by creating offensive chances, but a late-game miss kept them scoreless. The Cougs came away with a clean slate for their first victory of the tournament.
WSU played the University of Idaho on Feb. 22. The Cougars came out aggressive once again, dominating possession and controlling the tempo from the start. WSU fired off six goals, five coming in the second 45 minutes, and shutting down the Vandals to win 6-1 in dominating fashion.
With a 2-0 record, WSU was the only undefeated team in the tournament, earning an automatic spot in the semifinals. Their next challenge though was a fierce rivalry showdown against Gonzaga, easily their toughest test yet.
“Gonzaga gave us trouble on both counterattacks and set pieces, leading to them scoring on a crossed ball in the box,” Stevison said. “Although they did take us to penalties, I felt as though our team played very well and we created more scoring chances than the opposition. Sometimes the chances simply don’t result in a goal difference at the 90-minute mark, but I was proud of how the team played from start to finish.”
The match was a hard-fought battle from the opening whistle, with both teams pushing the pace and creating scoring chances. The Cougars struck first, continuing their aggressive tournament form, but Gonzaga responded with a goal of their own to level the match 1-1. Neither team could find the back of the net again in regulation, sending the game to a penalty shootout.
“The semifinals against Gonzaga posed the toughest challenge for us. Gonzaga played hard and took us to penalties,” Stevison said. “But our five penalty takers performed exceptionally in the shootout to take us to the final.”
Both Gonzaga and WSU would make four out of their five penalty shots. This would set up Stevison to make a huge save to give Wazzu the chance needed to close out the game with one final goal.
“As a goalkeeper, penalties are challenging but I love the opportunity to give my teammates momentum with important saves,” Stevison said. “I had full faith in our five penalty takers, so my job gets a lot easier when I only have to save one of five shots to clinch a win. Shoutout to RJ who scored the fifth goal under pressure to push us into championship.”
WSU clinched a spot in the finals where they would meet Montana State again. The Cougars would dominate the entire game, putting up five goals while being able to pull their starters with 10 minutes left.
The Cougs secured their second Northwest Cup title in a row. The Cougs will get another shot at the Bulldogs when the teams meet again on March 1, setting the stage for yet another intense showdown.
“A common saying across the sports world is it’s hard to beat the same team twice,” Stevison said. “Although we have a positive record historically against Gonzaga, they bring quality to every matchup and we shouldn’t overlook this match even though we’ve came out on top in these matchups in the past.”
The Cougs will face the always-tough Gonzaga next week.
