LARAMIE, Wyo. (9/20/22) – The University of Wyoming soccer team starts Mountain West Conference play this week. And it's a stiff test right out of the gates.
The Cowgirls play host to New Mexico — last year's regular-season and conference champions — Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex. That proceeds Wyoming going on the road to battle San Diego State on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the SDSU Sports Deck.
"I'm looking forward to starting conference out against two very, very quality opponents that are well coached, well managed and are competitive," head coach
Colleen Corbin said. "These are really great opportunities for us to test where we are at and compete at a high level.
"I'm excited we get to start the conference slate out this way, and hopefully it tees us up for success later on down the road."
This marks Corbin's second year traversing an eclectic and competitive MW. The Cowgirls went 4-7-0 in 2021 and will look to improve upon on that mark in 2022.
"(The MW) is extremely athletic, is extremely competitive and is a fast, gritty, hard-nosed conference," Corbin said. "I didn't feel like we matched up well enough in that category last year, and I feel like our team has done a lot of work on that front, while still trying to develop a quality brand of soccer that we are proud to play."
Wyoming owns a 1-3-3 overall record this fall. The Cowgirls are outshooting foes 108-87 but are being outscored 14-9.
Senior
Jamie Tatum paces the Cowgirls offensively, netting four goals, which pulls her to within a tie for sixth in program history with 17 career goals. Fellow senior
Faith Joiner has a pair of goals, while juniors
Alyssa Bedard and
Jazi Barela and sophomore
Maddi Chance have all found the back of the net once this year.
Freshman
Allyson Fischer has started the last three games in net for Wyoming. She lays claim to four saves and a GAA of 1.67.
New Mexico holds a 2-2-3 record this season. The Lobos are outshooting their opponents 96-95 and outscoring them 11-9.
Jadyn Edwards — last year's MW Offensive Player of the Year — paces New Mexico with six goals, which also ranks second in the conference. Leilani Baker is the only other Lobo with multiple goals, two.
Alli Davis has started every match at goalkeeper for New Mexico. She boasts 29 saves, a GAA of 1.08 and one shutout.
New Mexico — which has claimed three of the last four MW regular-season championships — leads Wyoming in the all-time series 20-9-5. That edge includes a five-match winning streak where the Lobos have outscored the Cowgirls 13-3.
San Diego State sits at 2-2-4 overall. The Aztecs are being outshot by their foes 159-90 but are dead even in scoring margin at 15-15.
Denise Castro has registered five goals to lead San Diego State. Emma Gaines-Ramos and Logan Nidy have logged three and two goals, respectively.
Alexa Madueno has made every start in net for the Aztecs. She's recorded 46 saves, a GAA of 1.94 and one shutout.
San Diego State leads the all-time series with Wyoming 17-5-2. The Cowgirls won last year's meeting 3-2, which snapped an Aztecs' six-game unbeaten streak in the series.
Following these pair of matches, Wyoming returns to Laramie to play host to Utah State and Boise State. Those games are set for Thursday and Saturday at 4 and 1 p.m., respectively, at the Madri Sports Complex.
