WASHINGTON STATE vs NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Thursday, September 18 at 7 p.m. PT
Pullman, Washington at Lower Soccer Field
Streaming: ESPN+ (Trevor Williams)

COUGS HOST BISON THURSDAY
The Washington State women's soccer team returns from a three-game, California road trip to host North Dakota State Thursday, September 18 at 7 p.m. at Lower Soccer Field in the final nonconference home game of the 2025 season. The meeting is just the second all-time match between the Cougs and Bison and is also Vamos Pumas Night at the Cougar Soccer Complex.

THE COUGARS AND THE BISON
Washington State and North Dakota State have met just once, clashing in Pullman during Coach Shulenberger's second season, a 5-0 win for the Cougs in 2016. Then-freshman Morgan Weaver scored her first-career hat trick and Kaitlyn Johnson set a school record with four assists in the match.

LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
WSU dropped its first road contest of the season in a 0-2 defeat at UC Irvine, Sunday. The Anteaters scored moments into the second half, doubling the lead with less than 10 minutes to go. The Cougars, who had avoided any bookings through the first five matches, were shown five yellow cards and a second-yellow, red card offense for freshman Ava Ghoreishi in the 82nd minute.

KEARA EARNED WCC WEEKLY HONORS
Senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Week, September 8, for her shutout performance at Cal, September 4. Fitzgerald tallied a career-high 11 saves, the most by a Cougar 'keeper since April 2021, and the first Wazzu GK with 10+ saves since Nadia Cooper's 2021 Pac-12 GK of the Year season.

COACH TODD SURPASSES 200 MATCHES
Head Coach Todd Shulenberger oversaw his 200th career match at the helm of the Cougar program, last Thursday in WSU's 1-0 win at UC San Diego. Shulenberger is in his 11th season at the helm of the Cougar soccer program and currently holds a 107-62-32 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.

ABOUT THE BISON
North Dakota State arrives in Pullman with a 4-5-0 record, under the leadership of eighth-year head coach Mike Regan. The Bison are the reigning Summit League champions and were picked in the preseason to win the conference in 2025. NDSU's Morgan Russman, the team's leading scorer and reigning Offensive Player of the Year, and Amaya Garrett were named preseason players to watch in the Summit League.

LOOKING AHEAD
Washington State hits the road to conclude the nonconference schedule at Montana, Sunday, September 21. The Cougs will face the Lady Griz at 10 a.m. PT/11 a.m. MT in Missoula with coverage on ESPN+.

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 has held down the starting job since, including 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. 'Fitz' is now four saves away from 300 career saves.

STUDER EARNS ALL-WCC PRESEASON
Returning sixth-year senior Jenna Studer was named to the All-WCC preseason team. The California native will feature in the Cougars' backline after delivering a pair of goals and an assist last season, playing nearly every minute of the 2024 campaign.

GHOREISHI SUSPENDED VS BISON
After being shown a second yellow card in the 82nd minute at UC Irvine Sunday, Ava Ghoreishi will miss Thursday night's game. The true freshman has started all six matches and became the first Coug sent off since Peyton Price saw red at LMU last October.

2025 ROSTER RELOAD
The Cougars welcomed 20 new faces, including six transfers and 14 freshmen. WSU retained 10 returnees, including four returning starters, two additional letterwinners, and four redshirts. In the season opener against Utah State, 11 Cougs made their WSU debuts, including seven in the starting lineup. Keara Fitzgerald, Ava Ghoreishi, Kiera Mitchell, Audrey Shackelford, Becca Skinner, Isabelle Wright, and Jordyn Young all made their first career starts at WSU. Ghoreishi, Mitchell, Skinner, and Wright all played their first collegiate game. Maizy Kluksdal, Journey Middleborn, Ana de los Santos, and Emery Streets all made their WSU debuts off the bench. In the Cougars' first road game of the season Elliotte Kortus made her first career start as a Coug, alongside grad transfer Abigail Siddall, starting up top for her first WSU appearance and start.

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.