PHOENIX — The University of Wyoming soccer team will face Air Force at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Mountain West Championship at GCU Stadium. The No. 2-seeded Cowgirls will take on the No. 4-seeded Falcons, with the match available to stream on MW+.
Saturday’s match marks Wyoming’s fourth appearance in a conference championship game in the program’s 31-year history. The Cowgirls last reached the title game in 2022, when they fell to San Jose State in penalty kicks.
“This group hasn’t been to a final except for G (Alyssa Glover),” head coach Josh Purdum said. “So, it’s new for everyone. It’s new for where we are as a program. It was new (Wednesday against Hawai’i), and we handled it. We’ve been playing playoff soccer for last three weeks now, so we know exactly what it looks like. Whoever we play, the preparation is the same. We just have to ramp it up one more level.”
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Alyssa Glover is the only current Cowgirl who played in Wyoming’s 2022 championship appearance. She has led the team throughout the season and was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
Glover has scored 10 goals and recorded nine assists for a conference-best 29 points. But Wyoming’s scoring has come from across the roster, as the Cowgirls showed in Wednesday’s semifinal victory over Hawai’i.
Addison Keen scored the equalizer off a corner kick from Glover, and Reese Gould ended the match with a golden goal in the 109th minute off a pass from Maddie Burr.
Keen and Gould joined Wyoming’s group of multiple-goal scorers this season. Burr has four goals and five assists, while Isabel Vasco has five goals and four assists. Brooke Brown has scored five goals, Lauren Westwood has three, and Erin Dahl, Raegan Richardson and Alisa Bunn each have two goals and one assist. Gould now has two goals and four assists, while Keen has two goals.
Air Force also has a leading scorer supported by several other offensive contributors. Annika Jost has scored nine goals and recorded 10 assists for 28 points. Eight other Falcons have scored twice, and five of those players have at least four goals.
The matchup also features two goalkeepers who have been busy throughout the season. Wyoming’s Haley Bartel has made 69 saves while allowing 18 goals, posting a 0.90 goals-against average. Air Force’s Sydney Nelms has recorded 81 saves and allowed 18 goals for a 1.09 goals-against average.
The Cowgirls and Falcons met earlier this month in Laramie, with Wyoming earning a 2-1 victory. Facing a nearly must-win situation, the Cowgirls scored twice in the second half to rally past Air Force.
Saturday’s winner will earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Wyoming has never qualified for the tournament.
