SAINT MARY'S vs WASHINGTON STATE
Wednesday, October 8 at 4 p.m. PT
Moraga, Calif. at Saint Mary's Stadium
Streaming: ESPN+ (Ryan Barnett & Jake Young)

MORE SOCCER IN MORAGA
The Cougars begin a two-game, split-week at Saint Mary's, Wednesday, October 8. WSU and SMC will kick off at 4 p.m. on ESPN+ from Saint Mary's Stadium. Wazzu is seeking a second-consecutive road result and first WCC road win, while the Gaels look to stay unbeaten in conference play, having lost just once in nonconference action.

COUGARS AND GAELS
Washington State and Saint Mary's College meet for the ninth time in program history and the fifth time with Coach Todd Shulenberger at the helm of the Cougar program. WSU holds a 3-3-2 all-time record against SMC, winners in three of the last four meetings. Last season in Pullman, the Cougars defeated the Gaels 1-0 in the sides' first match as conference foes. In the last four meetings, WSU has allowed just one SMC goal, outscoring the Gaels 4-1 over the 8-year span.

LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
The Cougars tied San Diego, 1-1 Saturday night at Torero Stadium. WSU trailed at halftime for the first time this season, fighting back with a 71st-minute equalizer from senior Jordyn Young to earn a result in the first road game of West Coast Conference action. San Diego grabbed the early lead on a 12th-minute goal from Katelyn Bessemer. The Cougars' equalizer came in the 71st minute, the second-latest WSU goal this season, when Young netted her team-leading third goal off of a long throw-in from freshman Aaya McLyn, who tallied her first career assist.

ABOUT SAINT MARY'S
Preseason All-WCC selection and 2024 All-WCC Second Team honoree Sydney Middaugh leads the Gaels with four goals. SMC is led by Coach Theresa Romagnolo in her sixth season, who returned 25 players from last season's roster. The Gaels' only loss this season came at No. 2 Stanford, 1-4, back in August.

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 109-64-33 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
Wazzu returns home to host LMU, Saturday night, at Lower Soccer Field. The Cougs and Lions are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. in Pullman and live on ESPN+.

INJURY BUG BITES
Four Cougar soccer student-athletes have been sidelined with season-ending injuries, including three starters in Keara Fitzgerald, Becca Skinner, and 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. More recently and temporarily, freshman defensive-midfielder Keira Mitchell missed two matches with multiple face fractures suffered in the WCC opener against Seattle U.

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.

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 17 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.