WASHINGTON STATE vs GONZAGA
Saturday, October 18 at 7 p.m. PT
Pullman, Washington at Lower Soccer Field
Streaming: ESPN+ (Greg Heister)

WSU VS GU SATURDAY NIGHT
Washington State soccer hosts Gonzaga, Saturday, October 18, at 7 p.m. at Lower Soccer Field in the Cougs' annual Pink Game. The match will stream live on ESPN+ with commentary from Greg Heister.

COUGARS AND BULLDOGS HISTORY
WSU and GU have meet 27 times previously, dating back to an inaugural meeting in 1990 in Richland, Washington. Since then, the Cougars have dominated the series, winning 24-of-27 matches, while the Zags have found their footing with two wins in the last three meetings. The Cougars have never lost to the Bulldogs in Pullman, while Coach Shulenberger holds a 2-2 record against GU.

LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
The Cougars defeated Loyola Marymount, 2-0, last Saturday night at Lower Soccer Field in Pullman. WSU earned its first shutout of conference play with freshman Journey Middleborn and senior Jordyn Young scoring for WSU. The Cougs controlled the match from the opening whistle, delivering 32 total shots in the match with 10 shots on target. Middleborn headed home the eventual game-winning goal off a corner kick in the 29th minute. Young added the insurance goal in the 67th minute. Young's fourth goal of the year also earned freshman Isabelle Wright her team-leading fourth assist.

ABOUT GONZAGA
The Bulldogs arrive in Pullman after a 1-0 road loss at Pepperdine last weekend. The Waves snapped a 3-game win streak by GU and continued the Zags winless season on the road. Gonzaga is led by second-year head coach Katie Kenz. The Bulldogs were selected to finish third in the WCC Coaches Preseason Poll with Makayla Werner earning preseason honors. Sophomore Amelia Severn leads the Zags with five goals and four assists in 2025.

COACH TODD SURPASSES 200 MATCHES
Head Coach Todd Shulenberger oversaw his 200th career match at the helm of the Cougar program in WSU's 1-0 win at UC San Diego, September 11. Shulenberger is in his 11th season at the helm of the Cougar soccer program and currently holds a 110-65-33 record. Shulenberger is the longest tenured head coach in WSU soccer history, leading the Cougars to five NCAA Tournaments in 10 seasons, including an historic run to the College Cup and the 2019 national semifinal.

LOOKING AHEAD
WSU hits the road again for a pair of matches in Oregon. The Cougs will face Oregon State, Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Corvallis before traveling to Portland to face the Pilots Saturday, Oct. 25. Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.

INJURY BUG BITES
Five Cougar soccer student-athletes have been sidelined with season-ending injuries, including four starters in goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald, defender and co-captain Peyton Price, forward Becca Skinner, and defender  and co-captain Jenna Studer. Freshman Rhen Ericson suffered an injury in offseason training and elected to medically-redshirt the 2025 season. Freshman forward Becca Skinner suffered a season-ending injury during training ahead of the Cougars' August 28 match at Idaho. Captain and defensive centerback Jenna Studer's college career was cut short at UC Irvine, September 14, due to a season-ending knee injury. In the following game, starting goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald went down without contact in the 72nd minute, ending her season. Most recently, Peyton Price suffered a season-ending injury in the 55th minute at Saint Mary's, October 8.

STANDIFER BETWEEN THE STICKS
Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Zora Standifer made her debut as a Coug, Sept. 18, replacing Keara Fitzgerald in goal in the 72nd minute in a 2-0 win over North Dakota State. The Long Beach State transfer made her first career start for Wazzu at Montana, Sunday, Sept. 21. Standifer finished with four saves and made her first start since October 2023, when she was a junior at Long Beach State. Standifer made her first start at Lower Soccer Field the following match, earning a win over Seattle U. In the most recent match, the senior transfer earned her first career WSU shutout with a 2-0 win over LMU.

2025 ROSTER RELOAD
The Cougars welcomed 20 new faces, including six transfers and 14 freshmen. WSU retained 10 returnees, including four returning starters. This season, the Cougs have had 13 freshmen make their college debuts and 18 student-athletes make their first starts at WSU. In the season opener against Utah State, 11 Cougs made their WSU debuts, including seven in the starting lineup. Eight freshmen played their first college match.

IF THE GLOVE FITZ
Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald earned the starting nod in the 2025 season opener, returning to the pitch for the first time since October 2023 and the first time in a WSU uniform. Fitzgerald held down the starting job until suffering a season-ending injury against North Dakota State, September 18. Fitzgerald's top performances included a career-high 11 saves in a shutout at California, September 4, the most by a Coug 'keeper in five seasons. The performance earned her WCC Defensive Player of the Week, her second-career conference weekly honor. The California senior tallied an assist in the Cougars' draw with No. 13 Georgia, August 31, delivering her second-career assist and the first by a Cougar goalkeeper since Nadia Cooper notched an assist against Colorado in Boulder in 2021. Fitzgerald finished with 296 career saves in 58 matches played and over 5,000 minutes.

STUDER'S ALL-WCC SEASON CUT SHORT
Returning sixth-year senior Jenna Studer was named to the All-WCC preseason team. The California native featured in the Cougars' backline until she suffered a season-ending knee injury at UC Irvine, September 14. The four-year Coug also suffered a season-ending injury in 2023 just two games into the season. During her college career, Studer delivered four goals, including three at WSU, and a pair of assists. Part of the backline and defensive midfield throughout her career, Studer played 46 matches as a Coug, starting 43, and played over 3,500 minutes.

OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
WSU's senior trio of Maggie Mace, Peyton Price, and Jenna Studer were selected by teammates and staff as the 2025 team captains.