BACK IN THE PAC
Washington State soccer returns to Pac-12 Conference play, Wednesday, October 1, welcoming Oregon State to Lower Soccer Field for the return of Pac-12 action in Pullman. The Cougars and Beavers are slated to kick off just after 6 p.m. with streaming coverage on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.
WSU HISTORY VS BEAVERS
Wazzu has held the edge over their Pac-2 foes, riding an 8-match unbeaten streak against OSU and a 10-5-2 record against the Beavers in Pullman. The last two seasons the programs met as affiliate members of the WCC with WSU winning both meetings 1-0; last season in Corvallis and 2024 in Pullman. Aaya McLyn is the only active roster player who has faced the Beavers previously in a Cougar uniform, coming off the bench last season for 17 minutes of action.
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
The Cougars closed the nonconference schedule with a 2-1 win over visiting Seattle U, exactly two weeks ago, Sept. 16. Isabella Amado scored her first collegiate goal with a near-post strike into the upper netting just 54 seconds into the match. WSU conceded later in the first half, allowing 11 shots on target through 45 minutes before locking down the Redhawks with just two attempts on frame in the second half. The Cougars scored via an own goal in the 66th minute when Delaney Hawkins delivered a cross into the 6-yard box. A lurking McKenna Smith waited to finish the cross, but did not get the chance as Seattle U attempted to clear the ball into its own net.
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
OSU goalkeeper Libby Brooker leads the Beavers with 46 total saves this season. Sophia Zboyan, Lea Gentry and Ava Burdeyny were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact List as Oregon State returned six players from last year’s squad, compared to 22 newcomers. Adele Schwab is Oregon State’s leading returner, having started all 19 matches for the Beavers last season. The midfielder was tied for the team lead with eight points on the year. Head coach Caroline Kelly took over as interim head coach prior to the 2024 season, and was promoted to head coach ahead of last season’s campaign.
LOOKING AHEAD
WSU concludes the weekend hosting Fresno State in the programs’ first all-time meeting Sunday, October 4 at noon at Lower Soccer Field. The match will stream live on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.
AGGIES TO HOST PAC-12 CHAMPS
For the first time in Pac-12 history, the Conference will host a women’s soccer tournament Nov. 11 and 14 in Logan, Utah. The Utah State Aggies earned the right to host the semifinals and conference finals at Bell Field with the strongest non-conference RPI in the league. The top 4 teams will qualify for semifinals with the winners advancing to the conference championship, Nov. 14.
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.
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.
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.
AMADO ACE AMAZES
True freshman Isabella Amado scored the sixth-fastest goal in Cougar history and her first career collegiate goal just 54 seconds into the Cougars’ match against Seattle U, Sept. 16. The Colombian drive into space at the right side of the box, driving a strike into the upper netting at the near post.
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. Devall’s season was cut short with a season-ending injury in the Cougars nonconference match at Hawaii, Sept. 6.
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.
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.