challenging road trip lies ahead for the WSU women’s soccer team this week as they travel to California to take on No.1 Stanford and No.17 California.

The Cougars opened up conference play last Friday at home and were edged out by visiting Colorado in the final minute of play as a goal in the 89th minute from the Buffalos gave CU a 1-0 win. The loss dropped WSU’s overall record to 5-3-1 and 0-1-0 in the Pac-12.

“This group, whether we lose or win, are always going to be competitive,” Head Coach Todd Shulenberger said. “It’s not the bounce back I’m looking for, it’s the challenge again to go out and play against the No. 1 team in the country and try to get a result.”

The Cougars will face Stanford on Thursday and then will have two days to shift their focus to a Sunday match against Cal.

Stanford (8-0-1, 1-0-0) has not yet lost a game, carrying the best record in the NCAA into the match. A 2-2 draw against Notre Dame in double-overtime is the only blemish on the team’s otherwise perfect record.

“We treat every team pretty much the same,” junior defender Jordan Branch said. “They’re No. 1 but we’re good, too.”

The Cardinal has racked up 22 goals in 10 matches. No .6 Florida is the only team to hold Stanford to a single goal in a match this season. Sophomore midfielder Jordan Dibiasi is the leading scorer for the team with six goals.

The Golden Bears have been a force this season as well, jumping out to an 8-2-0 overall record and conference win over Oregon State last week. The Golden Bears suffered a double-overtime loss to No.21 Santa Clara in August in the team’s season opener but have since won eight of their last nine matches.

Cal has won its last three matches at home in Berkeley, including its most recent 3-0 victory over the Beavers. Bears senior forward Arielle Ship assisted in all three goals against the Beavers, the first two goals coming less than a minute apart from one another. Redshirt senior forward Ifeoma Onumonu put Cal on the board first and freshman midfielder Mia Corbin netted the other two goals.

“(Cal’s) scoring a lot of goals,” Shulenberger said. “It’s a tall order but this is what Washington State has to do and we’ll be ready to go.”

The Cougars will take on Stanford at 7 p.m. on Thursday and will follow up with an 11 a.m. kickoff on Sunday against Cal. Both games can be watched on the Pac-12 Network