A tough start to the season has left players on the WSU women’s soccer team with a hunger for another win and the determination to prove themselves.

The Cougars (1-2) will take on the University of Montana on Friday in search of a better result than their most recent 1-0 road loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs last Sunday. The Grizzlies (3-0-1) are off to a hot start on the year having not yet lost a match, presenting yet another challenging opponent for WSU.

WSU heads into Friday’s match reeling from its most recent loss and craving another win. After defeating the 13th-ranked Santa Clara Broncos 1-0 at Lower Soccer field on Aug. 25, the Cougars stumbled in their loss at Gonzaga. WSU tallied more shots on goal than the Bulldogs yet were unable to overcome a goal from Gonzaga’s sophomore midfielder Callie Best in the 19th minute.

“Staying calm in front of the goal had a big part to do with [the struggle to convert],” WSU junior defender Kelsee Crenshaw said of Sunday’s loss. “It tends to be that we panic whenever the ball is in front of the goal.”

The Cougars, however, are looking forward and not to the past. Head Coach Todd Shulenberger has established a guideline for his team; move on by midnight. Moving on for WSU means turning the focus to Friday’s matchup with Montana.

The Grizzlies have three wins under their belt, the most recent being a 1-0 victory over the University of Denver. A cross by Montana sophomore midfielder McKenzie Warren was knocked into the goal by fellow sophomore forward Ellie Otteson in the 30th minute. The goal would prove to be a game winner, with both teams going scoreless for the remainder of the game.

“I’m excited for Montana, and to get Gonzaga out of our heads,” redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ella Dederick said. “We can prove to everybody that we can battle with some good teams out there and that we can come back from a loss like that. I think we will be able to win both games this weekend.”

The last meeting between the two teams resulted in an overtime victory for WSU. Then-junior midfielder Kailiana Johnson, broke a scoreless tie in the 99th minute with a penalty kick past the Montana goalkeeper.  The win extended the Cougars undefeated streak at the time, putting them at 4-0 at the start of last season.

“The girls are on high alert right now because they are aware of what took place and sort of blindsided us,” Shulenberger said, “The good things for us is that we’ll be up for a fight.

The match will take place at 7 p.m. Friday night at Lower Soccer Field.