LARAMIE – There is Cowgirl tough and then there's Alyssa Glover.
 
During one of the first training sessions leading up to Wyoming soccer's 2024 season, the talented midfielder suffered a broken tibia. However, the initial X-ray didn't show the fracture, so Glover gutted it out during road games at BYU and Washington.
 
"Warming up there was pain but the closer you get to game time I did a good job of putting it to the side, ignoring it and adrenaline does its thing," Glover said. "I didn't feel it until the end."
 
Following the road trip, the more serious diagnosis was made, and Glover's season was suddenly over. Watching the Cowgirls finish a goal short of making the Mountain West postseason tournament was almost as painful as her injury.
 
"One of the hardest things ever," Glover said. "It's never easy to watch your friends play the sport that you love. I think looking for the positive moments and being there to support my teammates helped make that easier."
 
Glover stayed engaged with the team and studied Josh Purdum's first season as head coach closely to make sure she was the perfect fit for his style of play.
 
During UW's home opener against Northern Colorado last Thursday, Glover came through in the clutch with a beautiful goal in the 82^nd minute to deliver a 1-0 victory. She grabbed the Front Range Derby trophy and celebrated with her teammates.
 
"The UNC game is always going to be a rivalry; it doesn't matter if it is here or away or who has the trophy that year," Glover said. "To be able to finish that one late for me and my teammates meant a lot."
 
Glover also scored the first goal during the Cowgirls' 3-0 victory over Regis last Sunday to conclude the home stand at the Madrid Sports Complex.
 
UW is 2-0-1 after kicking off the season with a draw at Drake.
 
"She had a really good spring and is getting back into the speed and the physicality of playing others at her level," Purdum said of Glover, who tallied a team-high six points against the Rangers. "She is figuring out what she can do quickly, and I think now we're seeing a more confident G as well.
 
"With her role, putting her in position to score goals, she's excited about it and is obviously showing it on the field."
 
As a freshman in 2022, Glover was named to the MW all-newcomer team after logging 1,148 minutes and contributing two goals and two assists. The Cowgirls shared the conference regular-season title and lost on penalty kicks in the conference championship game.
 
Glover, who would have been the top returning scorer for Purdum last season after finishing 2023 with 16 points (six goals, four assists), believes this year's squad can make a climb back up the standings.
 
"We definitely have the push to do it," Glover said. "I think the real test is if we keep that throughout the season because we all know in this conference that it could really come down to one game, one goal. That's what happened to us last year. One goal kept us out of the tournament.
 
"It's about being able to really focus and make sure that we're dialed in whether it's Colorado this weekend or Colorado State at the very end of the season."
 
The Cowgirls begin an ambitious three-game road trip against the Buffaloes of the Big 12 at 1 p.m. Sunday at Prentup Field in Boulder.
 
Glover, a Cherry Creek High School graduate, is one of seven players from Colorado on the UW roster. Danny Sanchez, now in his 14th season as CU's head coach, held the same position with the Cowgirls for four seasons before leaving Laramie for Boulder.
 
"It puts a little chip on my shoulder for sure," Glover said. "I mean, CU has always been a good program, and I know the coaches, some of them used to be club coaches, too, so I've known them for a long time. I get to go out there and just play against them and some former club teammates and girls that I play with in the summer. That always makes it more fun and more competitive.
 
"I have no doubt in this team and our ability to compete with anybody. It's just a matter of staying focused of the style we want to play and not getting dragged into CU's style."
 
The Cowgirls will play at Georgia (Sept. 4) and at Idaho State (Sept. 11) before returning home to face Colorado Mesa (Sept. 14).
 
"It's good because we need to be road warriors, we need to be battle tested on the road," Purdum said. "We got to do that at the end of spring playing at Nebraska and showed well. We know we can compete with these guys and that's the most important thing."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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