Wyoming soccer defeats Hawaii to clinch Mountain West tournament Bid

Wyoming Soccer Blanks Hawaii 2-0 to Secure First Mountain West Tournament Bid Since 2022

The University of Wyoming soccer team punched its ticket to the postseason on Saturday afternoon, defeating Hawaii 2-0 at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex in Laramie. The victory clinched the Cowgirls their first Mountain West Tournament appearance since 2022.

Fifth-year forward Alyssa Glover opened the scoring in the 42nd minute to pace the offense, capitalizing on a wide-open breakaway before dancing around Hawaii goalkeeper Kennedy Justin to tap the ball into the net. The counterattack began deep in Wyoming territory with goalkeeper Haley Bartel finding Alexa Berkley, who then connected with Glover.

"It is what we needed," third-year Cowgirls coach Josh Purdum said. "Obviously, the seniors showed up in a big way, but shoutout our freshmen as well. They showed up and obviously got it done for us. Our depth showed and we knew we wanted it really badly. So, obviously it is fitting."

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The strike marked Glover’s 10th goal of the season, following a two-goal performance against Air Force where she became the program’s all-time points leader with 73. Fresh off that milestone, the veteran forward approached Saturday’s regular-season finale with a tournament-style mindset.

"Last week, we knew we had to win to even give us a shot and then for this game, we were treating it like the quarterfinals," Glover noted, explaining that winning meant securing a spot regardless of other outcomes and approaching the contest as if the postseason had already begun today rather than next week.

Freshman Adds Insurance as Cowgirls Dominate Shots

Wyoming put the match out of reach in the 68th minute when freshman midfielder Izzy Schroder scored her first collegiate goal. Schroder fired a shot that bounced off Justin’s hands and crossed the goal line as the Hawaii goalkeeper scrambled to recover.

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"I wanted it for my team," Schroder said. "I wanted us to go to conference, so just smashed it in the net."

The Cowgirls controlled the tempo throughout the afternoon, outshooting Hawaii 24-8 overall and holding an 11-4 advantage in shots on target. Reese Gould forced an early save from Justin in the sixth minute, and Reagan Richardson tested the Hawaii defense with a header nine minutes later.

At the other end of the pitch, Bartel anchored the defense by collecting nine saves to record her ninth shutout of the campaign. The performance extended her career program record to 27 shutouts.

Conference Semifinals Await in Phoenix

With the win, Wyoming finishes the regular season with a 13-5-1 overall record and a 6-3-1 mark in Mountain West play. The team entered the match having already tied a single-season program best with 37 goals scored, a sharp turnaround from the 19 goals the squad produced a year prior.

Reflecting on the squad’s progression, Purdum remarked that throughout his three seasons at the helm, this group was uniquely equipped with the requisite talent, conditioning, and roster depth to succeed.

Colorado College locked down the top seed in the Mountain West Tournament, while Hawaii also qualified with a 9-6-2 overall record and a 6-3-1 conference standing. The final seed in the four-team tournament field depended on the outcome of Saturday night’s match between Air Force and New Mexico.

The Cowgirls will travel to Phoenix for the conference semifinals on Wednesday, with their official seeding to be finalized once all regular-season results are tallied. "We have got to recover, but everyone is in the same boat," Purdum said. "Nobody with a recent bye is in the tournament, so we are all in the same boat."