WAZZU HOSTS REDHAWKS WEDNESDAY
The Washington State women’s soccer team returns to Lower Soccer Field to host Seattle U, Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. for the Cougars only home match of September. The Cougars host the Redhawks for Greek Night in the final nonconference game of the season.
WSU HISTORY VS REDHAWKS
The Cougs have face Seattle U seven of the last eight seasons and hold an all-time record of 17-2 against the Redhawks. WSU has won three-straight against SU, including a 4-2 win last season in Pullman in the only meeting as conference opponents in the WCC.
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
WSU gritted out a 1-1 draw at Cal State Fullerton in the final nonconference road game. Reagan Brisdendine scored the equalizer in the 27th minute, her first of the season. Ashlyn Dvorak matched a career high with nine saves, including a stop of a Titans’ penalty attempt early in the second half to maintain the tie and the road result.
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
The Redhawks lead the West Coast Conference in goals scored (20) and goals per game (2.22) this season. U’i Kaaihue ranks third in the conference with five goals while leading the WCC with five assists. The 2026 season marks the 30th year of Head Coach Julie Woodward’s historic career. A Redhawk Hall of Fame inductee, Woodward has amassed a 366-167-72 record at Seattle U, ranking among the top 60 coaches in NCAA history and 36th among active coaches in wins.
LOOKING AHEAD
Washington State will have a two-week rest leading into the reinvented Pac-12 Conference. WSU faces Oregon State, Thursday, October 1, in Pullman for the first conference game scheduled at 6 p.m.
HAWKINS HANDLES PRESSURE
True freshman Delaney Hawkins delivered her first-career goal in her first-career start Aug. 15 in the win over USF. She also drew the challenge which earned the Cougs’ the first-half penalty and the early lead. The Scottsdale, Arizona native delivered the game-winning assist in WSU’s win over UC Irvine, before delivering the insurance goal in the final minute. Hawkins’ goal at 89 minutes and eight seconds is tied for the ninth-latest goal scored by a Coug in regulation in WSU history.
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.
OH CAPTAINS, MY CAPTAINS
WSU’s senior 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.
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.
DVORAK’S FIRST CLEAN SHEET
Redshirt-senior Ashlyn Dvorak got her first clean sheet and win as a Coug in the match against UC Irvine on Aug, 27, 2026. She made four saves with a save percentage of 1.000. Her efforts made it possible for the Cougs to get the 2-0 win over UC Irvine their first win against the Californian team since Sept. 22, 2013. Dvorak added a second shutout at Hawaii, bringing her career total to 25 shutouts.
2026 ROSTER RELOAD
The Cougars welcomed 23 new faces with the coaching change, 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 seven 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.
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.
TRENDING UP
Over the first five matches of the season, the Cougars improved their shot differential from -5 in the opener against Idaho to a +5 shot differential against the Anteaters, August 27.
| Opponent | Date | Shots For | Shots Against | Shot Diff. |
| Idaho | 8/12 | 10 | 15 | -5 |
|
South Fla. |
8/15 | 12 | 15 | -3 |
| South Dakota St. | 8/20 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| North Dakota St. | 8/23 | 12 | 9 | +3 |
| UC Irvine | 8/27 | 18 | 13 | +5 |
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, who is 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. Venier played both road matches last weekend, earning her first-career shutout in a scoreless draw at North Dakota State, Sunday, August 23 in Fargo, N.D.
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, the most by a Coug ‘keeper in five seasons. The performance earned her WCC Defensive Player of the Week. The California senior tallied an assist in the Cougars’ draw with No. 13 Georgia, August 31, delivering her second-career assist.