PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State women’s soccer team makes its first road trip of the 2026 season, visiting Brookings, South Dakota to face the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Thursday, August 20, at 5 p.m. PT (7 p.m. CT). Fans can watch the match live on Summit League Network for a fee.
CITOWICKI ERA BEGINS
Chris Citowicki was named the eighth head coach in WSU soccer program history, December 12, 2025, after eight seasons as the head coach at Montana. Citowicki led the Griz to nine Big Sky Championships, including three-consecutive regular-season titles. The 2023 Big Sky Coach of the Year, Citowicki finished at Montana with a 79-39-32 record and four NCAA postseason appearances.
WSU HISTORY VS JACKS
The Cougars and Jackrabbits have never met in WSU soccer’s 38-year program history. Thursday’s match will mark the first trip to either Dakota for Wazzu, having only met North Dakota State previously twice in Pullman.
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
WSU defeated South Florida, 4-1, Saturday evening at Lower Soccer Field, earning the first win of Coach Citowicki’s tenure and the first victory of the 2026 season. Lexi Lee put the Cougs up in the first half, 1-0, before the Bulls equalized after halftime. The Cougs peppered in three second-half goals in 10 minutes from Delaney Hawkins, Meg Devall, and Makena Smith between the 67th and 77th minute to secure the result as all four earned their first Cougar career goal and Emma Widmor delivered a pair of assists by a Coug for the first time in four seasons.
ABOUT THE JACKRABBITS
South Dakota State came roaring into the 2026 season with shutout wins over Manitoba and Minnesota State-Moorhead, scoring a combined 17 goals over two matches. The Jacks’ victory against the MSU Dragons saw the 2026 squad set single-game program records for goals scored, assists and points in a single match. The first two matches have seen every active player on the roster contribute on the pitch. Twelve players have scored goals and 13 Jackrabbits have been credited with an assist.
2026 ROSTER RELOAD
The Cougars welcomed 20 new faces, including 13 transfers and 10 true freshmen. WSU retained eight returnees, including five with field experience and three redshirts. This season, the Cougs have had five freshmen make their college debuts and 17 student-athletes make their first appearance at WSU. In the season opener against Idaho, 17 Cougs made their WSU debuts, including nine in the starting lineup. Five freshmen played their first college match.
IF THE GLOVE FITZ
Sixth-year senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald, returned for the Cougs after holding down the starting job last season 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 has made 296 career saves in 58 matches played over 5,000 minutes.
INVEST IN VENIER
WSU’s sophomore goalkeeper Sidney Venier stepped into the starting role in the Cougs’ win over South Florida, replacing starting ‘keeper Ashlyn Dvorak, out with a cracked rib. Venier delivered four saves in the win over the Bulls, only conceding on a penalty kick, to earn her first-career goalkeeping win.
OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
WSU’s defensive quartet of Riley Carolan, Ashlyn Dvorak, Keara Fitzgerald, and Makena Smith make up the captain’s room for the Cougs.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Sophomore Aaya McLyn changed her jersey number to 20 this season, becoming the second McLyn to don the number after her sister Aaqila McLyn wore #20 for five seasons with the Cougs, including a run to the College Cup semifinals in 2019.
COUGAR CONNECTIONS
Two current Cougar soccer student-athletes represent second-generation Cougs. Riley Carolan and Delaney Hawkins both have fathers who played football at Washington State. Brett Carolan was a tight end for WSU alongside Drew Bledsoe and went on to have a 3-year NFL career. Adam Hawkins was a team captain for the Cougs just a few years after Carolan graduated. Hawkins played running back alongside NFL legend Steve Gleason. Delaney is the god-daughter of Gleason.
HAWKINS HANDLES PRESSURE
True freshman Delaney Hawkins delivered her first-career goal in her first-career start Saturday in the win over USF. She also drew the challenge which earned the Cougs’ the first-half penalty and the early lead. Hawkins, a native of Scottsdale, Arizona, is a legacy Coug and the son of Adam Hawkins, a former WSU football team captain and teammate of NFL legend Steve Gleason. Delaney is the god-daughter of Gleason.
DEVALL’S DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Redshirt-junior Meg Devall waited patiently for her chance to represent WSU, sitting through the 2025 season, before earning a starting spot in the back line for the 2026 season. A native of West Linn, Oregon, Devall started both matches opening weekend, and scored her first-career goal in WSU’s win over USF. Meg collected an errant clearance from the Bulls and floated a curling left-footed shot into the upper left corner from the top of the area, giving WSU a 3-1 lead, fewer than six minutes after the Cougs regained the lead.
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