LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming soccer team opens its 2026 season Sunday with an exhibition against Denver at the Madrid Sports Complex.
The Cowgirls and Pioneers are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Wyoming enters the season after going 7-6-6 overall and 2-4-4 in Mountain West Conference play in 2025. The Cowgirls picked up one of the biggest wins in program history last season, defeating No. 15 Georgia 1-0 on the road, but finished tied for 10th in the conference standings and did not qualify for the Mountain West tournament.
Eight starters return for Wyoming, which is entering the third season under coach Josh Purdum.
“Year three is all about execution,” Purdum said. “There’s going to be a huge emphasis on mental framework and how we go about performance, how we talk about performance and how we prepare for performance.”
The Cowgirls were strong defensively last season, led by goalkeeper Haley Bartel. Bartel recorded eight shutouts, the third-most in a single season in program history, and posted a Mountain West-best 0.89 goals-against average.
Offensively, Wyoming will look to find more production beyond Alyssa Glover. Glover led the conference with 11 goals in 2025, while the rest of the Cowgirls combined for eight.
“We want to accomplish a level of consistency where our foundation is based on these strengths,” Purdum said. “Now it’s all about executing those strengths and closing the gap on the things we need to improve on, which is scoring goals.”
Bartel and Glover are among the eight returning starters, along with Kiley Ballek, Maddie Burr, Alisa Bunn, Erin Dahl, Hadley Linder and Jennah Wanner. Bartel, Glover and Burr were named to the Mountain West preseason Watch List.
Wyoming was picked second in the conference’s preseason coaches poll, behind Air Force. New Mexico was picked third.
This season will also mark the beginning of the collegiate career of Green River High School graduate Isa Vasco, who joins the Cowgirls as a freshman.
Vasco finished her high school career as one of the most accomplished soccer players in Wyoming history. During her senior season at Green River, she scored 54 goals and added 10 assists, helping lead the Lady Wolves to the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals.
She finished her career as the state’s all-time leading goal scorer with 228 goals, more than twice the previous record of 106. Vasco was also a three-time first-team all-state selection.
In June, Vasco was named the 2025-26 Gatorade Wyoming Girls Soccer Player of the Year, becoming the first girls soccer player in Green River High School history to receive the honor.
Vasco also was a five-time Region IV Olympic Development Program selection and finished her high school basketball career as Green River’s all-time leader in points and steals.
Denver finished last season 9-5-4 overall and 6-1-1 in Summit League play, sharing the league’s regular-season championship. The Pioneers moved to the West Coast Conference ahead of the 2026 season and were picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll.
Following Sunday’s exhibition, Wyoming will open the regular season Thursday against Drake. The Cowgirls will host the Bulldogs at 4 p.m. at the Madrid Sports Complex.
