After their historic run to the College Cup semifinals, Washington State women’s soccer took advantage of that momentum to pull off their biggest recruiting win in program history.

In December 2019, Trinity Rodman, the top-ranked forward in the class of 2020, signed to play for the Cougs. Trinity, the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman and the sister of current WSU sophomore basketball forward DJ Rodman, was considered a major recruiting win for the Cougar soccer program. She was a standout for US national youth teams and scored eight goals for team USA in the 2020 CONCACAF U20 championship run. Rodman was a big addition for the Cougs who seemed poised to make another push for a national title in the fall of 2020.

But, as we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Rodman’s scheduled freshman season with the Cougs did not happen as scheduled last fall. Instead, the NCAA pushed the soccer season to later this spring. During that downtime, Rodman had the chance to reconsider her path ahead.

According to various reports, Rodman has decided to forego her college career and declare for tonight’s NWSL draft where she is expected to be a first round pick. The news means that Rodman will not play a single game for Washington State.

The announcement is obviously a blow for Cougar soccer as they prepare to take the field this spring. The team is already without leading scorer Morgan Weaver, who was picked in the NWSL draft last season. But, even without those key names, the Cougs are still set to make another run this season. Head coach Todd Shulenberger’s squad returns seven of their ten leading scorers from last season, along with a highly touted freshman class that should make an impact immediately.

Even though she never took the field for the Cougs, we wish Trinity the best of luck in the pros. If you want to see where she lands, the NWSL draft is set for tonight at 4 o’clock. You can watch it live on their Twitch channel.

Washington State's Trinity Rodman to bypass college soccer for NWSL career | The Spokesman-Review
Coach Todd Shulenberger and Washington State hoped Trinity Rodman would take the Cougars’ accomplished women’s soccer program to another stratosphere.

One potential Portland Thorns target in the NWSL draft: Trinity Rodman, daughter of Dennis Rodman - oregonlive.com
The 2021 draft starts at 4 p.m. Wednesday on Twitch.

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Men's Basketball: Shorthanded WSU gears up for Pac-12 leader UCLA | KLEW
Going into the back half of a four-game road stretch, the Washington State cougars are heading up against two tough challengers in Los Angeles.

Cougs Named NCAA and USBWA Team of the Week - Washington State University Athletics
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