LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming soccer team opens its 2026 regular season Thursday when the Cowgirls host Drake at 1 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.
Wyoming will close the opening weekend Sunday with a trip to Greeley to face Northern Colorado at 6 p.m. at Jackson Stadium.
The Cowgirls went 7-6-6 overall and 2-4-4 in Mountain West Conference play last season. They opened this season with a 1-0 exhibition victory over Denver on Sunday, with Alisa Bunn scoring in the 86th minute.
Wyoming outshot Denver 21-2 in the exhibition, generating consistent pressure throughout the match.
“We are going to be ourselves and play the way we know how to play,” Bunn said. “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.”
The goal was Bunn’s first in two years. Wyoming will look to generate more consistent scoring this season after Alyssa Glover led the Mountain West with 11 goals in 2025.
Only six other Cowgirls scored last season, and Kiley Ballek was the only other Wyoming player with multiple goals, finishing with three.
Wyoming also returns goalkeeper Haley Bartel, who recorded eight shutouts last season and posted a conference-best 0.89 goals-against average.
Bunn, Glover, Ballek and Bartel are among eight returning starters. Wyoming also added Division I transfers, junior college transfers and freshmen, while reserves from last season will look to provide additional depth.
Drake went 9-6-4 overall and 6-2-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play last season. The Bulldogs won the conference’s regular-season championship before falling in the conference tournament.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw in last season’s regular-season opener in Des Moines, Iowa. Wyoming leads the all-time series 3-1-2, including a 1-0-1 record in matches played in Laramie.
The Cowgirls also hold the advantage in their all-time series with Northern Colorado, leading 13-8-2. Wyoming has won the last three meetings between the Front Range Derby rivals.
Northern Colorado went 3-10-6 overall and 2-4-2 in Big Sky Conference play last season. The Bears were picked ninth in the conference’s preseason coaches poll.
After Sunday’s match at Northern Colorado, Wyoming will return home to host Weber State on Aug. 20. That match is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.
