Cowgirls set to host rival Colorado State on Senior Day

* University of Wyoming athletics media relations release

LARAMIE -- The University of Wyoming soccer team closes out the regular season against Colorado State on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex. There are a multitude of things packed into this one soccer match.

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First off, it’s Senior Day, and a chance to celebrate the careers of three players – Hannah Lee, Savannah Warner and Rilee Castilla – in a match featuring the rival Rams. It’s also the final game of head coach Colleen Corbin’s inaugural year and an opportunity to go into the offseason on a high note.

“To perform at the level that we know how to perform, would be huge,” Corbin said. “It would mean a lot for not only the seniors but the program as a whole.”

Corbin joined the team in July amid a flurry of learning the roster, learning the area and learning how to be a head coach. The three aforementioned seniors have made that transition easier with the workmanlike attitude they embody each and every day.

“These seniors have been nothing but invested, committed and bought in to what we’ve asked of them,” Corbin said. “I know our kids want to get a result, not just say we beat Colorado State, but to say we did it for our seniors and we were able to end the season on a high note.”

The Cowgirls lay claim to a 7-10-1 overall record and a 3-7-0 mark in the Mountain West Conference. They won’t advance to the conference tournament, while Colorado State – at 6-6-3 overall and 5-4-1 in league action – will travel to Boise for postseason play.

So even though Thursday won’t encompass playoff ramifications, it will still include plenty of emotions.

“Technically, on paper, it’s for nothing. But for our kids, it’s everything,” Corbin said. “We know we still have a point to prove, and to be taken seriously in this conference we need to win consistently. Rivalry games always bring a different kind of edge, a different kind of energy, a different kind of grit because you’re playing for pride. It just means more.”

Redshirt-junior midfielder Jamie Tatum and sophomore forward Alyssa Bedard pace Wyoming with four goals apiece. Tatum adds a team-best seven assists, which is third best in the MWC.

Ten other Cowgirls have found the back of the net at least once this season. Goalkeeper Hannah Lee has played six games in net and owns 17 saves and a GAA of 2.11.

Kristen Noonan leads Colorado State with seven goals and two assists, while Gracie Armstrong adds six scores and four assists. Shayna Ross has played seven games in goal, laying claim to 28 saves and a GAA of .96.

Wyoming won during the spring 2021 schedule, and has claimed a victory in the series in seven of the last eight matchups.