Cowgirl Soccer Opens 2026 Campaign Today in Laramie

LARAMIE -- Nothing is raining on this parade.

The Cowgirl soccer team will officially open the 2026 campaign Thursday in Laramie. With heavy rains and lightning in the forecast, the match against Drake has been moved to 2 p.m.

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Wyoming head coach Josh Purdum said Wednesday, the game will be moved into the Indoor Practice Facility if needed, but the hope is to remain at the Madrid Sports Complex.

The Bulldogs were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference this fall.

“We are going to be ourselves and play the way we know how to play,” said Alisa Bunn, who netted the Cowgirls' lone goal of their exhibition match against Denver. “We’ve been focusing a lot on our mindset side of things and mentality. I think we are clicking really well, and we are going to just keep building on that.”

Wyoming, which landed second in the Mountain West preseason poll, outshot the Pioneers, 21-2, last Sunday. Purdum knows his team is capable of peppering a goalkeeper, but he is more concerned with keeping the ball out of his own net, he said during the team's media days event.

The Cowgirls finished the 2025 campaign at 7-6-6 overall and 2-4-4 in league play.

Alyssa Glover led the conference with 11 goals last season, only six other players found the back of the net and only one, Kiley Ballek, scored multiple times with three scores to her name.

A big reason as to why the Pokes still had a decent year in 2025 was the play of goalkeeper, Haley Bartel. She logged eight shutouts and owned a league-best GAA of 0.89.

Bunn, Glover, Ballek and Bartel are four of eight returning starters. A collection of Division I transfers, JUCO transfers and freshmen, along with the reserves from a season ago, will look to fill in some of the holes and provide depth.

Drake enjoyed a very strong 2025 at 9-6-4 overall and 6-2-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bulldogs won the league’s regular-season crown before falling in the conference tournament.

The Cowgirls and Bulldogs drew with one another, 1-1, in last year’s regular-season opener in Des Moines, Iowa. Wyoming possesses a 3-1-2 edge in the all-time series, which includes a 1-0-1 mark in matches contested in Laramie.

Wyoming also owns a lead in the all-time series with Northern Colorado, a team the Cowgirls will face in Greeley at 6 p.m. Sunday evening.

The Cowgirls are 13-8-2 against their Front Range Derby rivals and have won each of the last three matchups.

The Bears struggled last year, finishing at 3-10-6 overall and 2-4-2 in Big Sky play. They were selected to finish ninth in the conference’s preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Following the trip to Greeley, the Pokes return home to host Weber State on Aug. 20. That tilt is set for 4 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.

* A UW press release contributed to this report