COUGS HOST AZTECS FOR MATINEE
Washington State Soccer returns to Lower Soccer Field for its final home weekend of the 2026 regular season. The Cougars host San Diego State for a 4 p.m. kickoff Thursday afternoon with streaming coverage on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
WSU fell to 2-2 in conference play with a 2-0 defeat at Gonzaga last Thursday, Oct. 17. The Cougars conceded a first-half goal from corner kick and were punished chasing a tie in the second half with numbers pushed forward. Dvorak made five saves for a third-consecutive match. It was only the third loss to Gonzaga in WSU soccer history.
HAWKINS EARNS PAC-12 WEEKLY AWARD
True freshman Delaney Hawkins was named the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week, Oct. 6 for her three-goal performance in the opening weekend of Pac-12 play. Hawkins netted two goals in the first seven minutes in the win over Oregon State, adding a third in Sunday’s victory over Fresno State. The Scottsdale, Arizona forward is WSU’s leading goal-scorer with a team-best five goals, tied for eighth in the Pac-12 in scoring. The weekend performance also earned Hawkins TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week Honorable Mention.
HISTORY AGAINST THE AZTECS
Washington State and San Diego State have met six times, including twice in the last five seasons. Thursday’s match marks the first conference meeting between the sides and the Cougs boast a 2-0 record against the Aztecs in Pullman, winners of three-straight on SDSU.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE
The Aztecs are led by leading goalscorer Victoria Miller with seven goals. Miller delivered a hat trick against Colorado State last time out. Starting goalkeeper Kailey Carlen was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week at the beginning of the season and holds a 0.95 career goals-against-average. Head Coach Mike Friesen returns for his 20th season at the helm of the program.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Cougars will celebrate four seniors as part of Senior Day in the final home game of the season, Sunday, Oct. 25. WSU hosts Texas State at 1 p.m. in the programs’ first all-time meeting. The game will stream live on the Pac-12 YouTube channel.
AGGIES TO HOST PAC-12 CHAMPS
For the first time in Pac-12 history, the Pac-12 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 Nov. 11 with the winners advancing to the conference championship, Nov. 14.
HAWKINS HANDLES PRESSURE
True freshman Delaney Hawkins leads the Cougars with five goals and one assist, including her first-career brace in WSU’s 3-1 win over Oregon State, Oct. 1. The Scottsdale, Arizona native delivered her first-career goal in her first-career start Aug. 15 in the win over South Florida. She also drew the challenge which earned the Cougs’ the first-half penalty and the early lead. Hawkins 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.
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.
CAROLAN CRACKS THE SCORESHEET
Senior co-captain Riley Carolan scored her first career Cougar goal in WSU’s Pac-12 opener against Oregon State before scoring against Sunday against Fresno State. The centerback scored both her goals from corner kicks. Against the Beavers, Carolan headed home the 27th minute goal, first in three seasons, since her freshman season at Montana. The Washingtonian scored the game-winner in the fifth minute against Fresno State, her second-consecutive scoring match.
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 drove into space at the right side of the box, hammering a strike into the upper netting at the near post.
DVORAK DENIES GOALS
Redshirt-senior Ashlyn Dvorak earned her first clean sheet and win as a Coug in the win over UC Irvine Aug, 27. She made four saves and earned the Cougs the 2-0 win. Dvorak added a second shutout at Hawaii, before earning her third of the season and 26th of her career in WSU’s 4-0 win over Fresno State. In Wazzu’s nonconference finale, Dvorak made a career-high 13 saves against Seattle U, most by a Coug GK in five seasons.
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.
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.
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. The father-daughter quartet had the opportunity to raise the Cougar flag ahead of WSU football’s Family Weekend game against Fresno State.
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.
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.