GREELEY, Colorado (9/5/24) – University of Wyoming soccer head coach Josh Purdum has a lot of fond memories of Northern Colorado University. It's his alma mater and it's where he got his start in coaching. 

Well, Purdum has another memory to store in the box following Thursday night's match at Jackson Stadium. The Cowgirls toppled the Bears, 2-0, earning Purdum his first-career win as a head coach.

"I have a lot of history here and a lot of nostalgia," Purdum said. "But it's not about when the first (win) comes or who it's against. It's really about that we can get in the win column, and that we can respond the way we did, and we can bounce back from two tough losses that really exposed us. And we did that tonight."

The win pushes Wyoming's record to 1-2-1 on the season. The loss drops Northern Colorado to 0-7-0 on the year.

Alyssa Bedard provided the offense. She logged a brace – for her second and third goals of the season – scoring twice in the second half, as the Cowgirls opened the game up in the final 45 minutes.

Bedard's first goal occurred in the 49th minute off a feed from Alisa Bunn. She scored again in the 82nd minute off a free kick from just outside the penalty area.

Wyoming goalkeeper, Haley Bartel, made it all stand up with her second shutout of the season. She turned away six shots.

"I would have liked to create more chances, but I think that's just us learning the new system and the rotation we have," Purdum said. "With 10 days off, it's tough to get the legs under us. But they responded well defensively. They knew they had to keep the game at zero to win this one, and they did a good job of that."

The Cowgirls return home Sunday. They host Montana at 12 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.