The Cougs (2-2-3) took to the Lower Soccer field Sep. 18 to face the North Dakota State Bison (4-6). Returning from a three game road trip and going into the Cougs final non-conference game, the match started with a lot of back and forth between the two teams. In a post game press conference head coach Todd Shulenberger talked about NDSU’s play style.
“They’re very direct. They got a good style, what they choose to do. They launch it and fight like you know what,” he said.
WSU’s first shot of the night came on a free kick from Kiera Mitchell, whose line-drive attempt was stopped by NDSU’s keeper. More shots would be taken by both teams in the early first half with NDSU taking more possession than the Cougs.
Fouls proved costly for the Cougs, as Maggie Mace picked up their first yellow card after grabbing the jersey of a North Dakota player.
The Cougs kept up the pressure with attempts from Maggie Mace and Alena Watts, whose shot was blocked by the hand of a Bison defender setting up a penalty kick for WSU.
After some deliberation from the Cougs, Maggie Mace stepped up to the line to take the penalty after her shot three minutes earlier bounced off the cross bar. Slamming the ball into the middle away from the keeper she put the Cougs up 1-0. In a post game interview Mace talked about deciding to take the penalty kick.
“I’m a senior, I’ll take it. I wanted to take it. It was my first PK in college,” she said.
Alena Watts moves up field for WSU soccer against North Dakota State University.
This was Mace’s first goal on the team after transferring from Costal Carolina in 2024. Mace also noted the shift in momentum after her penalty kick.
“We have a goal. We can get more. We can keep playing. We can score more on them. So, it just really helped us take some pressure off our backline and kind of take a breath and just keep playing,” she said.
NDSU would get some offense in the first half after multiple Cougar fouls and a yellow card on Elliotte Kortus but end the half unsuccessful. The half would end with the Cougs up 1-0. WSU finished the half with 10 shots on goal and 13 fouls.
Both teams started the second half hot with shots from players on both teams early on. NDSU’s Hannah Arnold shot a close shot that got through Keara Fitzgerald but was nearly off target.
In the 70th minute Wazzu’s keeper, Keara Fitzgerald, would go down with an undisclosed injury and would be relieved by Zora Standifer. Fitzgerald won West Coast conference’s defensive player of the week in the beginning of September.
The Cougs would push forward without their star goalkeeper. Abigail Siddall would score an insurance goal in the 82nd minute with an assist from Isabelle Wright and Audrey Shackelford. Siddall noted her goal in a post game interview.
“I saw Audrey had it. I stayed wide, drove inside and you know, cut it and then I saw her out. Right foot right into the corner,” she said “I knew I got under it. I knew she was off her line and I didn’t even really need to look. Just knew it was right in the corner and then turned and got to go celebrate with my teammates”
The North Dakota State University Bisons try and take the ball away from WSU soccer on the Lower Soccer field.
The goal marked her first as a Coug, helping WSU secure a 2-0 victory over the Bison.
The Cougs finished out non-conference play 2-2-3. Shulenberger talked about what finishing out non conference play on a win means to the team.
“We got a win and we haven’t won a lot right now,” he said. “We got a bunch of ties. The girls worked hard and on to the next. mean, we got a win. That’s a result that we needed to get tonight. That was an absolute must.”
The Cougs take on their first West Coast Conference game Sep. 21 at Montana where they take on the Griz. Shulenberger talked about the upcoming matchup after the win.
“We got a big task,” he said. “They’re a great team, great coach. They smacked Gonzaga tonight, 4-0. So we got another tough game. There’s no doubt about it.”
