When Reese Tappan arrived at WSU to play soccer for the Cougs, she knew Pullman would be her collegiate home for the last four years.
Tappan committed to the Cougs when she was just a freshman in high school, back in 2018. Now, just a few months after her Cougar career came to a close, she has already found her home with Spokane Zephyr FC.
The typical winter signing window for professional teams opened a month-and-a-half after Tappan graduated. Her agent quickly found an opportunity: Spokane was showing interest.
“When he told me Spokane was interested, I was like, this would be great, since I’m from Washington, it would be a great place to start,” Tappan said. “I’m not too far away from home. And it’s nice to be able to go home if I need. So I was super excited to get the opportunity.”
Tappan trialed with the Spokane team for two weeks before the team evaluated her talent and fit and decided whether to offer a contract or not. She found her housing during those two weeks, then moved into team housing and never left.
She signed and was announced as a member of the team in February.
“I was like I’m just gonna give these two weeks everything I have, and I’ve kind of learned to just take it day by day and just take every moment for what it’s worth, because I think if you look too far into the future, that’s when things kind of get overwhelming,” Tappan said. “Since I’ve gone pro, I’ve been really trying to just kind of focus on each practice, focus on each game, just because you never know what can happen.”
That mindset was needed as the former WSU defender had a quick transition to her new team, appearing in her first match on March 15, a 3-2 home win over DC Power FC.
Tappan said the transition reminded her of her freshman year of college in terms of being the new person on the team, but the people around her are what made the difference in easing her in.
“But the team has been great,” Tappan said. ”The coaches have been very upfront with what they expect and kind of what their standards are. And I think that really is implemented into the players and the team culture. So I think being new, they don’t treat me any different. They expect the same from what they expect someone that has been here.”
Tappan comes to Zephyr FC after a successful Cougar career that was marked by consistency. Tappan started 73 of the 78 games she played at WSU and was named to the All-WCC First Team last season. Tappan saw major success in her freshman season, cracking the starting lineup early on and helping the defense to a 0.59 goals allowed average. The 2021 WSU side advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Tennessee.
Since Tappan committed to WSU when she was just 15, WSU head coach Todd Shulenberger got to watch her grow throughout her young soccer career. Tappan said knowing Shulenberger early in her career helped the coach set the standard for her when she came to WSU.
“I’m someone who values hard work, and so I think in college I was like I can control my work rate and how much like effort I’m giving,” Tappan said. “So if things weren’t necessarily going my way, I think I would just work super hard at training and whenever my name would get called, I was like, I’m gonna take this opportunity. So, I was fortunate to get an opportunity in my freshman year and I think that just kind of helped me throughout my career there.”
Tappan also said the atmosphere with fans giving “so much energy and positive vibes” helped motivate her to play for both her team and the fans.
With her pro team located in Spokane, just 75 miles from Pullman, Tappan still can come back to support the Cougs and help the younger players learn and grow.
“Now that I’m kind of settled here in Spokane, I definitely want to go down to WSU as much as I can, just to kind of stay connected,” Tappan said. “Because I think as much as I did for them, they also did a bunch for me.”
Zephyr FC is a part of the eight-team USL Super League’s inaugural season and is the only team on the West Coast. The league has been in the works since 2021 and joined the National Women’s Soccer League as the only two leagues in the first division of U.S. women’s soccer. Unlike the NWSL, the USL Super League follows the typical calendar for international women’s soccer teams, running from August to June with a midseason break.
Tappan said there is uncertainty in the league, but that it makes it more fun because people don’t know what to expect.
“I think it’s been a great experience so far and I’m super excited to kind of see what is in store for this league because I think there is so much room for the USL to grow and I’m super excited to see even what next year brings,” Tappan said. “I think coaches and people on the board have already learned so much and it’s only been a little bit more than halfway through and so I think it’ll only continue to go up from here, which is exciting. ”
The USL is set to expand in the next few seasons, with Sporting Jax beginning play next season and multiple other franchises expected to join in 2026 and beyond.
The last few months have been a whirlwind for Tappan as she adjusts to pro soccer life. The New Castle, Washington, native has come a long way since being a two-time state champion at Liberty High School, but the fact that she is now playing pro soccer is just beginning to hit.
“It’s honestly gone by kind of fast, which is kind of crazy, saying that and sitting here, like, wow, I’m pro, it’s crazy,” Tappan said. “I just remember coming into WSU being a freshman.”
Turning pro has continued to develop relationships on and off the field for Tappan and she is again getting a similar feeling to her freshman year.
“And now, being at the next level, I think I really idolize the older people that have been in this league,” Tappan said. So I think it’s similar to college in a sense, where you’re younger and you kind of like look up to people that are older than you. Now I’m kind of at the bottom, so I’m looking up at the players that have been in the league or in other leagues, which is cool.”
Zephyr FC is currently sixth in the standings of a league where only the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. Spokane is five points out of the final playoff spot, with seven matches remaining.
As she settles into the structure of the USL and the pro lifestyle, Tappan is simply focused on making a run for the playoffs rather than any long-term goals.
“Spokane’s been amazing so far, and so I’d love to continue here as much as I can,” Tappan said. “But, like I said, I try and not think too much of the future because then I kind of can play mind games a little bit. So I just try and take one step at a time and just kind of enjoy where I’m at.”
Tappan and Spokane Zephyr FC travel to face Carolina Ascent FC at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
