Washington State Soccer Preview: A Young Core Leads the Forwards and Midfielders

Naomi Clark, Reagan Kotschau and Megan Santa Cruz saw tremendous success in their freshmen seasons. What will they do for an encore?

John Severs | Aug 14, 2024

Jan 13, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot looks on before a game against the Arizona Wildcats at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Washington State soccer starts their season Thursday, August 15 with a trip to Indiana to visit the Purdue Boilermakers. Before that happens we're going to take a quick look at some of the big names returning for the Cougars this season. For part one, we'll be looking at WSU's forwards and midfielders.

With forward Margie Detrizio graduating, Washington State has lost their top scorer from 2023. Finding a new attacking forward to be the focal point of the offense is going to be tough, but there area few names to keep an eye on.

The most important forward to keep an eye on will be Naomi Clark. Clark already made a big impact as a freshman last season, with 4 goals. She got off to a roaring start in 2023, with one goal each in her first two games as a Cougar, before cooling off a bit. She capped off her first season with an incredible game against Oregon State, when she had 1 goal on 10 shots.

This could very well be Clark's team going forward, but there is one other big name coming back for Washington State. Last season, Grayson Lynch scored two goals and an assist in the first three games of the season, before losing the rest of the year due to a knee injury. If she's healthy, that will be huge for Washington State.

Clark and Lynch will have a lot of veteran support from WSU's midfield. Last season Reagan Kotschau was a breakout star for the Cougars. As a freshman she was second on the team in total points, with 4 goals and 2 assists, and was named to the final Pac-12 All Freshman team at the end of the season. She was already a full time starter in her first season, but with a year of experience under her belt she should be able to establish herself as one of the WCC's best players in 2024.

Two other names to watch in the midfield will be Rajanah Reed and Megan Santa Cruz. Reed had three goals and two assists with only six starts last season. With a larger role, she should be able to make a bigger impact. Santa Cruz was another of the Cougars' impact freshmen in 2024. She started in 18 games, and finished the season with one goal and two assists.

The most striking thing about this year's Cougar team may be how young the core is. Clark, Kotschau and Santa Cruz are all sophomores and already such key players on the team. With another year of experience, this is a group that is well positioned to find a lot of success in the West Coast Conference.

Published Aug 14, 2024

JOHN SEVERS

Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for Sports Illustrated, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.