Washington State Soccer Week 1 Recap: Cougars Drop Season Opener to Purdue 1-0

The Boilermakers controlled the pace of the game for most of its runtime, while the Cougars struggled to generate offense.

John Severs | Aug 21, 2024

Sep 21, 2019; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot Butch looks on during a football game against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Martin Stadium. Bruins won 67-63. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Washington State soccer failed to get off to a strong start, as the Cougars dropped their season opener to the Purdue Boilermakers in a 1-0 road loss last Thursday.

Purdue started the game very aggressively, with four shots on goal in the first. Purdue's aggression came with a price, as several offsides calls and some early penalties allowed Washington State to start getting the ball back into the Boilermakers' side of the field.

Despite that, Washington State did not land any shots on goal in the first half, with Purdue's defenders deflecting their best attempts. Purdue, meanwhile, continued to play aggressively, and their physical gameplay ensured the Cougars could not find a solid rhythm. While the Boilermakers set the pace for the first half, WSU's defense managed to keep the ball out of the net.

That lasted for most of the second half as well, before Purdue's Gracie Dunaway finally snuck a ball past Nadia Cooper in the 76th minute. Purdue continued to set the pace for the rest of the game, but the Cougars found some energy with 5 minutes left in regulation. Reagan Kotschau got a solid shot off in front of the net, but the ball sailed just over the top of the goal and Purdue hung on for the win.

Gracie Dunaway into the bottom-left corner, and it couldn't have come at a better time!

That's three career goals on opening night for Gracie!💥#BoilerUp 🚂⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Ag82cv3g4U
— Purdue Soccer (@PurdueSoccer) August 16, 2024

Kotschau's shot was one of only three the Cougars managed last week. Grayson Lynch and Rajanah Reed each added one as well. You have to assume that group of players will eventually deliver a lot of scoring, but they couldn't get it done against Purdue. The defense did perform admirably against the Boilermakers; despite Purdue controlling the time of possession for most of the game Washington State proved difficult to score on. Nadia Cooper managed nine saves Thursday evening.

Washington State will be back in Pullman this weekend. They'll have two games at home against regional rivals this weekend, the first against Montana and the second against Idaho. Montana performed well in their first week of action, taking down Colorado College 1-0 and blowing out Oregon State 3-0 in Missoula. Idaho's first weekend of action was mixed. They took down UC Riverside 3-1 but fell to Seattle 3-0.

The Cougars face the Grizzlies on Thursday, August 22nd at 7 PM. they'll take on the Vandals on Sunday, August 25th at 7 PM. Both games will be aired on ESPN+.

Published Aug 21, 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.