With a 2-1 victory over UC San Diego on Sunday, the Colorado State women’s soccer team improved to 6-0 on the season, extending the program’s best-ever start to a campaign.
CSU lost in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament last year, coming a win short of playing for the tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. They were one win short of claiming the conference’s regular season title as well.
All of that came a year after they lost in the tournament championship game to Utah State in 2023.
That way last season has ended fueled this year’s team slogan of “Unfinished.” The squad has goals that go beyond what it did a year ago.
“I, personally, really, really want to go to the NCAA Tournament,” junior Michaela McGowan said. “And I know our whole team does as well, and I know this team will get there and I’m just really excited to see where this program goes.”
The team is halfway toward the program’s record of 12 wins in a season, which it has accomplished twice, including last season when the Rams went 12-5-4.
McGowan is one of several Colorado natives on the team. The Broomfield High graduate spent two seasons at the University of Denver before transferring to CSU.
There are 10 former Colorado high school players on the team, including freshman Hope Thao, who also went to Broomfield, and a pair of Windsor graduates in freshman Hannah McKay and sophomore Ella Moody.
“Ultimately, we’re going to cast the big net,” CSU head coach Keeley Hagen said. “We want a big net to be in Colorado because it’s such a strong soccer state.”
Hagan actually recruited McGowan out of high school, and when she decided to transfer from DU, Hagan reached out again. The second time, she got the answer she was looking for.
Transfers like McGowan have played a big part in the team’s recent success.
Senior Olivia Fout spent one season at Auburn before transferring to CSU. All she did in her first season with the Rams in 2023 was set a program record for goals in a season (12) while earning Mountain West newcomer of the year and first-team all-conference honors.
She spent part of last season recovering from an injury and finished with two goals, leaving five short of tying the career record of 19.
Her goal against UC San Diego was her fifth of the season and tied the record, held by Caeley Lordemann (2017-19).
Fout said after Sunday’s game that the records don’t matter to her as much as having fun and winning a conference championship with her best friends.
CSU will look to extend its best start in program history Sunday when the Rams travel to Denver to face McGowan’s former team, DU.
Volleyball
It has been an up-and-down start to the season for CSU volleyball, which sits at 3-3 after a five-set loss at Oregon on Saturday.
Last year’s Mountain West regular season and tournament champion, the Rams haven’t been as dominant this year but are still optimistic about what this season can be.
The roster is loaded with both experienced veterans and newcomers. The focus early in the season is getting them to play together while introducing the new players to the program and the atmosphere of Moby Arena.
Colorado State’s Aine Doty serves during a match earlier this season at Moby Arena. (CSU Athletics)“There’s a lot of excitement in our gym,” head coach Emily Kohan said. “New players and freshmen especially come with a lot of excitement. Everything is new to them. They’ve never been to our promotional events before or played in Moby Arena. There’s a lot of curiosity, even from our end on the coaching staff walking into the gym.”
The Rams won both of their games at the Portland Invitational last week before losing to Oregon. On Thursday, they swept Eastern Washington before winning in five sets against California State-Northridge on Friday.
CSU will be back at Moby Arena this weekend with matches against East Texas A&M on Thursday and Notre Dame on Friday. Then the following weekend, the Rams and CU will play their home-and-home series, beginning with the Fort Collins match Sept. 18 and the Boulder match Sept. 19.
Cross Country
The CSU cross country teams have had only one meet so far this season and are no doubt ready to run again Sept. 20 at UTSA.
At the teams’ season opener, the Wyoming Invitational on Aug. 30, the CSU women won the event for the seventh year in a row while the men’s team finished third.
Combined, the teams feature 11 true freshmen and five transfers, but also some experienced veterans.
Still, the end goals remain the same, which include winning a conference championship and advancing past it.
“When we meet with the team, we give them a sheet of nine things we really expect,” CSU cross country coach Kelly Hart said. “The first three are team focused. So, a team-first mindset in racing and a team-first mindset in your lifestyle. I’ve obviously seen that from this group. It’s a group that really cares for each other, wants to be really successful but wants to be successful because they care about the team.”
At Wyoming, freshman Tatum Berg, a Fossil Ridge graduate, was third while junior Brooklyn Ewert, a Mountain View alumna, was 18th. Jaycee Williams, a 2024 Berthoud graduate, is also on the CSU roster this fall.
Colorado State junior Brooklyn Ewert, a Mountain View graduate, runs in the Wyoming Invitational on Aug. 30 at Jacoby Golf Course in Laramie. (CSU Athletics)Hence then, the article about csu fall sports notebook women s soccer team off to historic start was published today ( ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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