PULLMAN, Wash. – Fresh off of the first Sweet 16 run in program history, the Washington State University women's soccer team is ready to get back on the field as the 2018 official schedule has been released. The Cougars play 11 of their 19 games at home at Lower Soccer Field while also making seven appearances on the Pac-12 Network.
The new year kicks off in Pullman for the Cougars in mid-August with a pair of WAC opponents coming to town in Seattle, who lost the WAC Championship on penalty kicks last season, and Grand Canyon University. For WSU, the game against Seattle on Aug. 17 not only marks the first contest of the 2018 season but also the Cougs' first chance to play on national television with the Pac-12 Network making its way to the Palouse.
Three-straight on the road send the Cougars to the Midwest face off against Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Last season, WSU upset the 14th-ranked Cornhuskers in Pullman, adding Nebraska to the Cougs' ever-growing list of shutouts on the year, 11 to be exact.
After their Midwest trip, the Cougs return home to start September as the Cougars take on regional rival Idaho in a battle of the Palouse. The Cougs are 11-1 all-time against the Vandals having outscored their neighbor 31-5 in 12 games.
The non-conference schedule finishes with a pair of games back home with Montana and Cal Poly coming to Lower Soccer Field Sept. 14 and 16. Last season WSU drew 0-0 with the Grizz in Missoula to extend its unbeaten streak to eight matches against Montana.
Immediately following non-conference play, the Cougs are tasked with taking on 2017 national runner-up UCLA to begin Pac-12 play. In what may be one of the best matchups of the year in the Pac-12, the Cougs will look for another magic moment as they attempt to replicate their 1-0 upset of the Bruins from last season. The win over UCLA marked the Cougars' biggest upset in program history as WSU was the only team to defeat the Bruins in 2017 outside of the national champion Stanford Cardinal.
Along with the game at UCLA, the Cougars will play six times on the Pac-12 network during conference play including four times at home. Home matches against Oregon and Oregon State at the end of September will feature on the national network as well as WSU's Oct. 25 game against Cal and the regular season finale on Nov. 2 against Washington.
In addition to the featured Pac-12 Network games at the end of the year, the Cougars will get their shot at the defending champs on Oct. 28 when Stanford returns to the Palouse for the second-straight season. Last season, the Cougs just missed upsetting Stanford, falling 2-1 to the Cardinal.
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