11/10/2026 2:35:00 PM | Women's Soccer, Pokes Insider
Wyoming's confidence never wavered on road to Mountain West Tournament
LARAMIE – We're getting in.
Josh Purdum texted his leadership group the simple three-word message following the team's frustrating 2-1 loss at Grand Canyon on Oct. 28.
Wyoming's third-year head coach remained confident that the team would return to Phoenix for the Mountain West Tournament.
The Cowgirls, who came up short on the pitch at GCU Stadium despite finishing with a 29-9 advantage in shots, knew they could still qualify for the conference tournament with wins over Air Force and Hawai'i in their final two regular-season games. They also knew they couldn't afford to allow another late goal like the one the Lopes scored in the 87th minute.
"As soon as I sent out that text, the love and the support from that, we are all on the same page," Purdum said. "Obviously, we didn't get the result that we wanted at GCU, but we knew we had two home games to get it done and we were going to do it."
Alyssa Glover scored two second-half goals in the 2-1 comeback victory over the Falcons and netted the game-winner in the 2-0 victory over the Rainbow Wahine last Saturday at the Madrid Sports Complex.
"Last week we knew we had to win to even give us a shot, and then for this game we're treating it like the quarterfinals," Glover said after the clinching match when asked about Purdum's confident text. "We treated it like the tournament started today, not next week."
Not only did UW earn a spot in the four-team bracket, but the Cowgirls are the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 Hawai'i again in the semifinal round Wednesday at GCU Stadium (3 p.m., MW+).
"Winning these two games going into the tournament is going to give us a lot of momentum," Glover said. "After the GCU game, nobody was super happy with that result for sure, so having our coach have our backs and tell us it's OK, we just focused on the next game."
Glover became UW's all-time leader in career points (76) during the final homestand of her career, passing former teammate Jamie Tatum (69, 2019-23) for the top spot. She is also the Cowgirls' all-time leader in goals (29), game-winning goals (13) and shots (212).
The MW offensive player of the week and a leading candidate for offensive player of the year said she "blacked out" when asked to describe her goal against Hawai'i that punched the Pokes' ticket to the postseason.
Four years ago, the Cowgirls lost to San Jose State on penalty kicks in the championship game. Glover was a true freshman on that team.
"It's been four years coming now and this team has put in so much work, and you can tell every day that we step out here for a game," Glover said. "We're always ready and pushing for more, and there was no part of our team that was ready to be done."
The Cowgirls finished the regular season 13-5-1 overall and 6-3-1 in the MW, tying the Rainbow Wahine (9-6-2) for second place.
UW was 7-3 on the road this season, while Hawai'i was 3-2.
"For the first time in my three years we knew we had the depth, we had the talent, we had the fitness, we had everything from a mentality standpoint to get it done," Purdum said. "The difference was our just want to and at this stage of the season we weren't scared to have two tough games ahead of us to get into the tournament. It's going to prepare us."
Top-seeded Colorado College plays No. 4 Air Force in the other semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The semifinal winners meet in the championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Cowgirls are in Phoenix, as Purdum predicted. Now they have a chance to make history as the program seeks its first MW Tournament championship and first NCAA Tournament berth.
"It goes back to that leadership group that is just all bought in and they know it's different this year," Purdum said. "The energy is different when you believe in it and our girls have bought into it and they talk about it a lot and it's a big part of our DNA."
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.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
Josh Purdum texted his leadership group the simple three-word message following the team's frustrating 2-1 loss at Grand Canyon on Oct. 28.
Wyoming's third-year head coach remained confident that the team would return to Phoenix for the Mountain West Tournament.
The Cowgirls, who came up short on the pitch at GCU Stadium despite finishing with a 29-9 advantage in shots, knew they could still qualify for the conference tournament with wins over Air Force and Hawai'i in their final two regular-season games. They also knew they couldn't afford to allow another late goal like the one the Lopes scored in the 87th minute.
"As soon as I sent out that text, the love and the support from that, we are all on the same page," Purdum said. "Obviously, we didn't get the result that we wanted at GCU, but we knew we had two home games to get it done and we were going to do it."
Alyssa Glover scored two second-half goals in the 2-1 comeback victory over the Falcons and netted the game-winner in the 2-0 victory over the Rainbow Wahine last Saturday at the Madrid Sports Complex.
"Last week we knew we had to win to even give us a shot, and then for this game we're treating it like the quarterfinals," Glover said after the clinching match when asked about Purdum's confident text. "We treated it like the tournament started today, not next week."
Not only did UW earn a spot in the four-team bracket, but the Cowgirls are the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 Hawai'i again in the semifinal round Wednesday at GCU Stadium (3 p.m., MW+).
"Winning these two games going into the tournament is going to give us a lot of momentum," Glover said. "After the GCU game, nobody was super happy with that result for sure, so having our coach have our backs and tell us it's OK, we just focused on the next game."
Glover became UW's all-time leader in career points (76) during the final homestand of her career, passing former teammate Jamie Tatum (69, 2019-23) for the top spot. She is also the Cowgirls' all-time leader in goals (29), game-winning goals (13) and shots (212).
The MW offensive player of the week and a leading candidate for offensive player of the year said she "blacked out" when asked to describe her goal against Hawai'i that punched the Pokes' ticket to the postseason.
Four years ago, the Cowgirls lost to San Jose State on penalty kicks in the championship game. Glover was a true freshman on that team.
"It's been four years coming now and this team has put in so much work, and you can tell every day that we step out here for a game," Glover said. "We're always ready and pushing for more, and there was no part of our team that was ready to be done."
The Cowgirls finished the regular season 13-5-1 overall and 6-3-1 in the MW, tying the Rainbow Wahine (9-6-2) for second place.
UW was 7-3 on the road this season, while Hawai'i was 3-2.
"For the first time in my three years we knew we had the depth, we had the talent, we had the fitness, we had everything from a mentality standpoint to get it done," Purdum said. "The difference was our just want to and at this stage of the season we weren't scared to have two tough games ahead of us to get into the tournament. It's going to prepare us."
Top-seeded Colorado College plays No. 4 Air Force in the other semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The semifinal winners meet in the championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The Cowgirls are in Phoenix, as Purdum predicted. Now they have a chance to make history as the program seeks its first MW Tournament championship and first NCAA Tournament berth.
"It goes back to that leadership group that is just all bought in and they know it's different this year," Purdum said. "The energy is different when you believe in it and our girls have bought into it and they talk about it a lot and it's a big part of our DNA."
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.
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.
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