Live Stats | Match Notes
LARAMIE, Wyo. – Wyoming women's soccer will face South Dakota State in its lone preseason match of 2017 this Friday in Hastings, Neb. The neutral-site match is set to begin at 5 p.m. MT at Lloyd Wilson Field on the campus of Hastings College.
Wyoming returns the majority of its starters and goal scoring from last season's squad that finished the year 10-8-2 and 6-4-1 in the MW, logging a third-straight 10-win season for the first time in program history. Sophomore forward Michaela Stark led UW last season with six goals and earned a spot on the MW All-Newcomer team. This season's team will be captained by a trio of seniors, including goalkeeper Georgia Rowntree, defender Claire Parker and forward Alisha Bass. All three started every game last year for the Cowgirls. Bass recorded three goals and four assists, while Parker and Rowntree anchored one of the strongest defenses in the conference. Rowntree's eight shutouts were tied for the most among MW goalkeepers. Senior Summer Halle and sophomore Brooklynn Mooney will lead the group of midfielders, and also bring back a wealth of experience. Both played in all 20 games last season, and Halle netted three goals while Mooney scored one goal.
The Cowgirls are making their second trip to Hastings, Neb., in as many years. Last season, UW defeated South Dakota by a score of 1-0 in the preseason competition.
South Dakota State returns six starters and 16 letterwinners from a squad that earned a bid to the NCAA Championship in 2016. The Jackrabbits finished the year 5-3-0 in the Summit League to tie for third, before claiming the Summit League Tournament title. South Dakota State competed in two neutral-site games last season, posting a 0-0-2 record. The only matchup in program history between the Jackrabbits and the Cowgirls came in 2005, when UW earned a 4-0 victory.
"I'm very familiar with the team, being one of our biggest rivals when I was at North Dakota State," head coach Pete Cuadrado said. "They're definitely one of the best teams in their conference, with NCAA tournament appearances the last two years. Any time you face a team with that experience, you know you're going to get a battle. I expect nothing less than a hard fought game and we're looking forward to it."
Kick-off is slated for 5 p.m. MT. Live stats will be available at the link above, and follow @wyo_soccer for updates.
