#23 Washington State (7-2, 0-1) vs #19 USC (5-2, 1-0)
Thursday, Sept. 28 // 5 p.m. PT // Pullman, Wash. // Lower Soccer Field
Television » Pac-12 Los Angeles & Pac-12 Washington // Play-by-Play » Greg Talbott
Live Stats » wsu.statbroadcast.com

STARTING ELEVEN
I.    Washington State concludes September with a Thursday evening match against Southern California, Sept. 28, at 5 p.m. in Pullman
II.    Last time out, the Cougs fell to No. 2 Stanford, 0-1, in the Pac-12 opener, Friday, Sept. 22 with a 10th-minute Cardinal goal
III.     The Cougars close out a month-long homestand this weekend, hosting UCLA Sunday at Noon from Lower Soccer Field
IV.    Margie Detrizio rocketed into the WSU record book with 21 career goals (t-8th), 14 career assists (t-8th), and 56 total career points (9th)
V.    WSU holds a 7-17-4 record against the Women of Troy, dropping a 2-3 defeat last season in Los Angeles after tying 1-1 in Pullman in 2021
VI.    WSU moved up to No. 23 in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll and held at No. 19 in the College Soccer News rankings –  WSU is one of three schools in the country nationally ranked in soccer, football, and volleyball (alongside Penn State and Texas)
VII.    Head Coach Todd Shulenberger returned for his ninth season at the helm of the Cougar program, holding the school's all-time wins record (96) and four victories shy of 100 wins with a .636 winning percentage
VIII.    The Cougars completed August with an unblemished record, the 11th time in program history with nothing but wins in the calendar month and the fourth time with a perfect August schedule under Coach Todd
IX.    Goalkeeper Nadia Cooper picked up her 24th career win, Sept. 14, moving into fifth in school history, and boasts the second-best winning percentage from a Cougar GK in program history (.655)
X.    WSU ranks fourth nationally in corner kick opportunities, as the Cougs generate over eight corner kicks per game with 8.11
XI.    Three different Cougs each have three goals this season to lead WSU, including Margie Detrizio, Naomi Clark, and Bridget Rieken

COUGARS VS TROJANS
No. 23 Washington State continues Pac-12 play Thursday, Sept. 28, to close out the calendar month against Southern California. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. with coverage on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Washington. In the all-time series, the Cougars are 7-17-4 against the Women of Troy. Wazzu's last result against USC came at home in 2021 - a 1-1 draw. Head Coach Todd Shulenberger has never defeated Southern California. WSU's last win against USC came in 2013, a 1-0 victory on the Palouse.

RANKED CLASHES HEADLINE START TO CONFERENCE
Thursday night's match against nationally-ranked USC will be the second of three-straight top-25 showdowns at Lower Soccer Field. After dropping last Friday's contest to No. 2 Stanford in front of 2,000 fans, WSU returns to face No. 19 USC and No. 5 UCLA, Sunday. In 2021, the Cougars tied then-No. 5 Southern California in the last ranked battle with the Trojans. The last time WSU hosted two top-5 teams in back-to-back weekends came in 2018, welcoming then-No. 2 USC, followed by then-No. 1 Stanford the following weekend.

NATIONAL RANKING RETURNS
The Cougars moved up one spot to No. 23 in the week's United Soccer Coaches poll and maintained their position at No. 19 in the College Soccer News top-25 ranking. Washington State is one of four nationally-ranked Pac-12 programs in the Coaches' poll, behind No. 3 Stanford, No. 5 UCLA and No. 19 USC.

RARE AIR AMONG THE RANKED
Washington State is one of three programs in the country that is nationally ranked in football, women's soccer, and women's volleyball. WSU is ranked No. 6 in volleyball, No. 16 in football, and No. 23 in soccer, alongside Penn State and Texas.

MANY MINUTE AND MATCH MILESTONES
Several Cougars are reaching milestones in their collegiate careers. Junior Reese Tappan eclipsed 4,000 minutes played last weekend and will make her 50th career appearance in Thursday's match. Junior Lindsey Turner reached 2,000 minutes played in Pullman, and surpassed 3,000 minutes in her collegiate career. Senior transfer Bryana Pizarro made her WSU debut against Seattle U, Sept. 14 and passed 2,000 collegiate minutes when she made her first career Cougar start last weekend. Senior Marin Whieldon will eclipse 60 matches played with her next appearance.

BRYANA'S BIG RETURN
Senior transfer Bryana Pizarro made her first-career start in Crimson and Gray in Friday night's match versus Stanford after making her debut as a sub in the win over Seattle U, Sept. 14. The Oregon State transfer recently returned to the pitch after a spring injury sidelined her for the majority of the nonconference schedule. Pizarro returned to the pitch and quickly eclipsed 2,000 college minutes played.

COPPER GOING THE FULL 90
Redshirt-senior transfer Keeley Copper has played every minute of the 2023 season, giving a full 90 in every contest for a total 810 minutes of playing time. Including four seasons at Davidson College, Copper has played over 5,000 minutes of college soccer.

DETRIZIO DOMINATION
Margie Detrizio entered her senior season as a Preseason All-Pac-12 selection, the only student-athlete outside of the four California schools to be recognized on the 11-member team, and the Conference's top returning goalscorer. Detrizio holds top-10 spots in several Cougar top-10 records, most recently moving into a tie for eighth in program history with her 21st career goal, Thursday, Sept. 14, against Seattle. The Arizona native added an assist in the win over San Diego State, bringing her career total to 14 assists and into a tie for eighth in school history. With 56 total career points, Detrizio sits tied for eighth in program history.

COOPER RE-WRITING WSU RECORD BOOK
Junior goalkeeper Nadia Cooper is no stranger to re-writing the WSU record book, this season setting her sights on the career goalkeeping lists. Against Seattle U in the nonconference finale, the Houstonian picked up her 24th career win, moving into fifth place in school history. Cooper made a season-high nine saves in WSU's program-first win over Portland, one shy of her single-game career high. The junior netminder eclipsed 3,800 career minutes, the sixth-most minutes between the pipes in program history. She has also made 132 career saves and vaulted up to seventh on the top-10 career saves list.

SHULENBERGER APPROACHES 100 CAREER WINS
WSU Head Coach Todd Shulenberger earned his 96th career victory in the win over Seattle U. Shulenberger holds a .636 winning percentage, which ranks 45th nationally among active coaches. Last season, Shulenberger broke the program's win record with his 89th career victory, defeating Utah, Oct. 2, 2022, surpassing Matt Potter with 88 career wins in Pullman.

BROOKS CALLED UP FOR OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS
Freshman goalkeeper Liya Brooks earned a call up to the Jamaican Women's National Team for a pair of Olympic qualifiers. The Jamaican Football Federation most recently called up Brooks for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the Reggae Girlz earned a historic first win in the global tournament. Jamaica faces Canada in a two-leg series that began Friday, Sept. 22 in Kingston and finishes Tuesday, Sept. 26 in Toronto. The aggregate winner will clinch a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside the United States.

IT JUST MEANS MORE
With the Cougars' win at College Station, Aug. 20, they became one of only three Pac-12 schools to win against an SEC opponent this year, and one of two to do it on the road. Washington State and Southern Cal are the only Conference schools to travel to a Power 5 opponent and win (2-7-1). Against all Power 5 schools, the Pac-12 posted a 10-10-4 record.

COUGS NAMED TOP-20 PROGRAM OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
The Cougars were tabbed as the 20th best team in the country over the last five seasons, SoccerWire.com announced in preseason. The organization generates the standings based on each program's average position in the end-of-season rankings. Rankings are based on a combination of final United Soccer Coaches Polls and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) from each season, with bonuses awarded for NCAA Tournament qualification and College Cup victories. Stanford was the only Pac-12 ranked higher than WSU, named fifth on the list.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
In the nonconference finale, Sept. 14, Margie Detrizio and Bridget Rieken each scored their third goal of the season. Three Cougs, including Naomi Clark, now share the lead with three goals a piece. In the win over Seattle U, two first-year Cougs also earned assists – Rajanah Reed and Reagan Kotschau each earned their second career assist.

TRIO OF COUGS WITH THREE GOALS
WSU has three leading goal scorers, including Bridget Rieken, Margie Detrizio, and Naomi Clark, each with three goals. The trio is tied at 10th place in the conference in the golden boot race, led by Colorado's Shyra James with eight season goals.

RIEKEN SUMMITS 6K IN RETURN
Fifth-year senior defender Bridget Rieken surpassed 6,000 career minutes played in a Cougar uniform Aug. 20 at Texas A&M. The Idaho native was welcomed back to Lower Soccer Field for another season, seeking redemption for a 2022 senior season which ended in injury and the Cougs outside of the postseason conversation. Rieken was named the Aug. 28 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, after heading home the game-winning goal at Portland, Aug. 24. The goal was Rieken's first of the season and the second game-winning goal of her career as WSU earned the program's first win over the Pilots. In her time at WSU, Rieken has centered a backline to the national semifinals, and limited opponents to less than a goal per game.  

UNDEFEATED IN AUGUST
The Cougars completed August with an unblemished record, the 11th time in program history with nothing but wins in the calendar month. Coach Shulenberger has led Wazzu to a perfect August schedule four times. WSU's five wins last month are the most wins in August in program history.

CLARK QUICK TO THREE GOALS
True freshman Naomi Clark has emerged as WSU's early leading goalscorer. The Colorado native has scored three times, most recently in an August 27th win over Weber State. The curling, left-footed golazo from outside the area earned SportsCenter's No. 7 play on the daily SC Top 10 segment. Clark began the season with goals in the first two games, becoming the first WSU freshman since Kailiana Johnson in 2013 to score goals in the first two games of the season.

SEASON-OPENER DRAWS THREE THOUSAND
When the Cougars took the field against Eastern Wash., Thursday, they did so in front of 3,013 fans, the second-largest crowd in program history and the 6th-largest crowd in the country over opening weekend. Lower Soccer Field has become something of a fan-fortress for the Cougs. In 2021, the team drew an average of 1,238 fans per match, the highest season average in program history. Last season, Wazzu averaged 1,057 fans per game, good for 21st in the country.

REED EARNS FIRST CAREER POINTS
Junior Rajanah Reed had an impactful afternoon in August 27th's win over Weber State. Reed earned her first career assist, finding space up the right side before playing an easy square ball to Detrizio for the goal. Reed wasn't done, adding a goal of her own in the second half. The Glendale, Ariz., native recovered a loose ball on the endline, split a pair of defenders, and hammered home her first career goal and the match's game-winning goal. Reed's second career goal was a golazo game-winner late in the first half to beat Kansas.

MUSUAI ISAIA STARTS IN GOAL
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Musuai Isaia got the starting nod Sept. 10 against Kansas, making her first career appearance and first career start at WSU. The Oahu native was called upon for two saves in the 1-0 win, providing Isaia her first win and first cleansheet on the Palouse.

GEORGIA WHITEHEAD DEBUTS IN THE HEAT
Freshman Georgia Whitehead made her collegiate debut in the 38th minute at Texas A&M, Sunday, Aug. 20. Whitehead, the granddaughter of longtime WSU football coach Jim Walden, played the remainder of the game, handling an aggressive Aggie attack, spearheaded by forward MaKhiya McDonald. Whitehead would get the starting nod Aug. 24 at Portland, making her first career start for the Cougars.

MARATHON MARGIE
With 71 minutes in WSU's win at Portland, Detrizio cruised past 3,000 career minutes at WSU. The senior has tallied 20 goals and 14 assists in her time on the Palouse. For the second time in her career, Margie Detrizio put together a 3-game assist streak. Spanning to last year's regular season finale against Washington, Detrizio built a 3-game assist streak. Last season, Detrizio went on her first 3-game assist streak, between the Sept. 1 game at Seattle and the Sept. 11 victory versus Cal Poly to become just the 12th student-athlete in program history with a 3-game assist streak. Detrizio, who earned postseason accolades from the Pac-12 and United Soccer Coaches organization last year, returns as a reigning All-Regional Third Team honoree and All-Pac-12 Second Team recognition.

COLORADO FRESHMEN PHENOMS NET DEBUT GOALS
The freshmen duo of Reagan Kotschau and Naomi Clark has a long history, dating back to high school state championships in Colorado. Aug. 17, Kotschau and Clark joined sides and each scored their first career goal to give WSU the win. It marked the second time under Coach Shulenberger when two true freshmen scored in the season-opener and the fourth time in program history. Kotschau, from Thornton, Colorado, and Clark, from Parker, Colorado, became the 18th and 19th freshmen, respectively, in program history to score in the season-opening match.

BROOKS BACK FROM WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE
Incoming freshman goalkeeper Liya Brooks had a short preseason with the Cougs. The Jamaican-American recently returned from a call-up with the Jamaican Senior Women's National Team to the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. While Brooks didn't see action on the field, the opportunity provided an experience to work with the veterans of the Reggae Girlz' roster and be with the team as they advanced to their first every Round of 16 match.

PICKING THEMSELVES BACK UP
The Cougars completed the 2022 season with only a single victory after conceding the opening goal and never won when trailing at halftime. To start the 2023 season, Washington State won both matches after conceding the opening goal, and picked up the 3-1 win against Eastern Washington after trailing, 1-0, at halftime.

FRESHMEN SHINE IN CAREER DEBUTS
Five true freshmen earned minutes in the Cougars' season-opening win over Eastern Washington. Reagan Kotschau and Megan Santa Cruz made their first career starts, while Naomi Clark, Nat Lewis, and Alena Watts all subbed on for their Cougar debuts.

COUGS TABBED FIFTH BY PAC-12 COACHES
Washington State was selected in the top half of the conference for the fifth-straight season, falling behind the four California schools in the preseason ranking at No. 5.

PRO COUGS
Establishing themselves among the elite teams, the Cougs have pushed their best into the pro ranks of the NWSL. Since the 2020 NWSL Draft, Washington State has had more draft selections than every school in the country, except UCLA. Eight Cougars have been called in the last four drafts. In the 2020 Draft, Morgan Weaver went No. 2 overall to the Portland Thorns. The following year Trinity Rodman went No. 2 overall to the Washington Spirit.

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