Gonzaga Women's Soccer Draws with Washington State 1-1 in Rainy, Foul-Filled Matchup
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Alexis Parker takes the ball upfield against Simon Fraser on Aug. 24, 2025 at Luger Field. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics/Instagram [/caption]
It took 14 games, but Gonzaga women’s soccer (5-8-1, 3-2-1) finally tied with an opponent as it drew even 1-1 with Washington State (4-5-4, 2-2-1) on Saturday. It was a rainy night in Pullman as the wet ball and damp pitch invited plenty of slippage by the players and a lack of execution when it came to finishing shots, even when open.
The unideal conditions caused players to perhaps grab a little bit more onto their opponents as well in order to prevent themselves from falling, but not without the blowing of whistles. There was an unbelievable 29 fouls called during the match, with the Bulldogs committing 15 of them. Five fouls were called on WSU within the first 16 minutes.
In addition to this, five yellow cards were pulled in the affair, with the Zags’ Shila Rasoul and Samantha Snorsky earning the warning calls from the officials. There was simply no shortage of physicality and intensity in a contest that was truly close throughout the 90 minutes. But this type of play isn’t necessarily new to Washington State, which has been called for 20 yellow cards so far this season, tops in the WCC.
WSU outpaced GU in shots 14-12, but the Zags took more on goal (five) than the Cougars’ two. But the first true shot on goal didn’t come from Gonzaga until about five minutes to go in the first half by Olivia Lester, when she fired it right at the keeper. Katelyn Rigg and Amelia Severn both took their chances prior to Lester’s attempt, but slipped either while shooting or after the fact, causing the ball to sail off target.
A standout stat for the Zags’ offensive performance is that they didn’t record a corner kick for the first time all season. Gonzaga entered play on Saturday winning the CK battle against their opponents 81-66, but were bested by the Cougars 8-0 in this one. Fittingly, Washington State’s goal came on its first corner kick of the match.
At 29’, Audrey Shackelford served it from the left corner, just over the initial cluster of players to Keira Mitchell, who was behind the pack. She then nailed a header into the center of the net between the diving Bulldogs keeper, Michaela McCollum, and defender Lauren Chin.
Both sides had ample chances to find the back of the net, as with all of the fouls and yellow cards, there were plenty of free kicks to go around. But the defenses held strong, as even with these set-piece situations creating more adequate chances for the offenses, it was quiet for about 54 minutes since the initial score.
This was until Rigg was grabbed from behind down the left end line, drawing a foul and a free kick from just past midfield. Makayla Werner took the set piece, angling it to curve towards the net and in the vicinity of one of her teammates sprinting to the post, a play the Zags ran earlier in the match. On that try, it was Severn who took the free kick, and sprinting ahead was Avery O’Donnell, who got a header but pushed it too far left.
This time, Werner’s boot flew in front of the post, and no one was seemingly home. But Cougars keeper Zora Standifer came out of the net attempting to grab the ball, misjudging its flight and only getting a piece of it as it fell behind her. Defender Alena Watts was in position and tried to clear it, but slipped before she could.
Flying in came Alexis Parker, whose lanky legs always have her racing up and down the field in her mission to make hustle plays. She was constantly moving once again, and this time was in a perfect position to knock the ball in, behind Standifer and past Watts, who was on the ground.
In the final minutes, two more yellow cards were handed out to Washington State, and the Cougars even notched a lasting corner kick at 89’, but neither team could convert to steal a win late.
Although it wasn’t a loss, Gonzaga remains winless on the road (0-5-1) this season. The Zags will have to put their search for their first victory away from Luger Field on pause as they return home for their next two games, beginning with a match against Santa Clara on Wednesday, October 22, at 6 PM PT.
