HCA: Cougar Soccer off to a strong start

The Washington State women’s soccer team hosted their first two home matches of the season over the weekend and they picked up right where they left off from last season. Ranked #23, the Cougars opened their season on the 22nd of August in Seattle with a 4-0 win and had just over a week off to prepare for their home opener against Montana on Friday.

The Cougar women started the weekend off with a 6-0 win over Montana on Friday night with the help from Senior forward Morgan Weaver who finished her night with two goals on two shots; both were assisted by Makamae Gomera-Stevens. The Grizzlies were held to just three shots on the night with only one being on goal and really didn’t stand a chance as the Cougs put up two goals in the first 12 minutes of play and never looked back.

To finish off a weekend full of victories, the Cougs hosted James Madison on Sunday afternoon and came out blazing on the way to a 6-3 victory. Just 21 seconds into the match, Gomera-Stevens found the back of the net. MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson would kick off a stretch in which the Cougars would score four goals in just over 15 minutes. She would find the back of the net in the 10th minute with the help from Averie Collins who would have a hand in helping them score three of their first five goals of the match including two goals of her own.

They would then go on to score all six of their goals in the first half which is the most in a single half since they scored seven against Montana in 2002. They would finally give up their first goal of the season in the 31st minute before giving up two more just after half time. A possible comeback was cut short after the Dukes would score twice early in the second half but would not be able to do much more after that.

The Cougars have outscored their first three opponents 16-3 which is the most goals through their first three games of a season since 1991 when they scored 17 over a three game stretch. All three of their opponents so far this season made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Cougars will head North to Spokane on Thursday to take on Gonzaga at 7:00pm. Gonzaga won the last meeting between the two schools in 2016 breaking a 24 game stretch in which the Cougars had won or tied since their first meeting in 1990.

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Football:

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Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network Washington.

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Ryan Hilinski is expected to make his first start at quarterback for South Carolina this Saturday, taking the place of injured No. 1 Jake Bentley when the Gamecocks play FCS opponent Charleston Southern.

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Soccer:

First Half Flurry - Washington State University Athletics
Behind six first half strikes the Cougars ran past James Madison, 6-3, Sunday afternoon.