Editor's Note: The following story is part of a series highlighting the members of the 2024 Washington State Athletic Hall of Fame Class. The Hall of Fame induction will take place, Sept. 6-7, at the Washington State University campus. 

What was Matt Potter's reaction to Micaela Castain's first game in a Cougar unform?

"Not too soon!" Potter, head coach of the Cougar soccer program from 2004 to 2011, said, laughing, "We're trying to keep you quiet. Let's not draw too much attention, too soon!"

Just four minutes into an exhibition game against the University of Idaho, Castain, making a rare start for a freshman, shot a penalty kick into the back of the net. Castain ended the game with three goals, the coveted hat trick. Although it wouldn't count in official stats, it served notice of the onset of a Hall of Fame career.

"It signaled her intent as a winner," Potter, head of football and interim sporting director for Bay FC of the NWSL, said. "Here we go. Hold on tight."

"I was so excited to be there and starting," Castain said. "I just wanted to go out and show the team and my coaches that I can play at that level."

During the next four years, Castain did show her team, coaches, and Cougars that not only could she play at a Division I level, but she could also play at a Hall of Fame level.

When Castain arrived at WSU in 2010, she joined a Cougar Soccer program that had built a solid foundation, having advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times in the past decade, including the past two seasons. 

"What I remember is how great a family they were," Potter recalled of recruiting Castain. "She was brought up with good core values, humility, work ethic, well mannered. 

"That's what makes Washington State great, those types of people because they recognize the opportunity of Washington State, not the limitation," Potter added. "All those qualities are what makes great Cougs."

Castain played in all 20 matches as a freshman, starting 19, and led the team with eight goals, including three game-winners.

Castain was poised to build on her freshman campaign, but a knee injury derailed her year, missing the final nine matches of the regular season. Despite that, the Cougars advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and Castain did return for the Cougars' second round match.

Potter departed the program for Oklahoma after the 2011 season and, with a coaching change, Castain faced a decision.

"That was hard time because the coaches left," Castain said. "I was thinking about leaving. I stayed and met Keidane. We really clicked."

When Keidane McAlpine arrived at the Cougar soccer program as head coach, he knew how special a player he was inheriting in Castain.

"You're talking about one of the most dynamic forwards, she could do it all," said McAlpine, who served as head coach for the program in 2012 and 2013 and is currently the head coach at Georgia. "She took so many games over herself."

In 2012, Castain led the Cougars with 11 goals, including five-game winning, to lead the Cougars to their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

The table was set for what was to follow during Castain's senior season in 2013.

"Even before the season even started, we knew we had the tools coming off the junior year," Castain said. "We were all ready to go and trusting in his (McAlpine) process and gameplan."



McAlpine recalled a moment before the 2013 season that reflected the belief of the team.

"I've given them the schedule and they say, 'Coach we're going 16-3-1,'" McAlpine recalled. "That was a unique thing for them to go out and claim their season. They made up their minds before the season how good they wanted to be.

"It was a testament to the power of belief togetherness and unity that group had," McAlpine continued, "and to have a dynamic personality like Micaela leading on the front end made all the difference. The team looked to Micaela as the person they wanted to score goals. She became the leader for the group."

In 2013, Castain put together one of the greatest seasons of any athlete in WSU Athletics history, leading the Cougars to a 14-3-4 record and a runner-up finish in the Pac-12, the best finish in the Pac-10/12 era for the program.

Highlighted in the 14 wins that season was a 1-0 victory against No. 6 Stanford on a brisk fall day in Pullman. That win was the first over Stanford since 2003 and snapped a 42-match road unbeaten streak for the Cardinal and clinched second place in the conference for the Cougars. 

Coupled with a win over No. 21 California two days earlier, the Cougars defeated nationally-ranked opponents in back-to-back matches for the first time since 2004.

The victory over the Bay Area Schools was especially sweet for Castain, who describes the win as the "game she remembers most" during her career. 

"I remember we got killed by Stanford my freshman year (Cougars lost 5-0)," she said.  "My senior year felt like our team and myself grew from that freshman season. Being able to beat Cal and Stanford in that same weekend was pretty cool."

In all, WSU set or tied over 30 school records during the 2013 season and made history with their third-straight NCAA Championship appearance, a first for the program. 

Castain tallied 11 goals and 11 assists and a Pac-12-leading 33 points, taking home the conference's player of the year award and became the first All-American in school history. 

Castain wanted to raise the level of expectations for the program, and she achieved that goal.

"I wanted to make a name for Washington State and place Washington State's name on the map," Castain said. "When I left there was an expectation that WSU was going to win games and be expected to make the tournament every year." 

Since 2013, the soccer program has reached the NCAA Tournament five times including the historic 2019 season when the Cougars advanced to the national semifinals. 

"She helped changed the perception of what Washington State soccer was," McApline said.

""The mark of anybody in life is can you leave it in a better place than you found it," Potter said. "She left a footprint there. She can look back and say I did what I said I was going to do and leave WSU in a better place than I found it. That's the mark of a great."