Ellensburg, Wash.- The Wildcats (0-3-2) are onto conference play as they look ahead to their 6 p.m. match against Simon Fraser (2-1-1) Thursday, September 17. The team lost against a tough Division I foe in Seattle U last Sunday as they hope to find their footing with conference play looming.
 
Inside the Match ups:

Thursday, September 17, 2026
Central Washington at Simon Fraser
6:00 p.m.
SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field
Burnaby, British Columbia

Saturday, September 19, 2026
Central Washington at Western Washington
7:00 p.m.
Harrington Field
Bellingham, Wash.
 
Last Weekend:

The Wildcats had a tough match last week as they were playing up against Division I opponents that kept the pressure on them all game. The first half saw two goals squeak past Goalie Leighton Menge, but not without a heck of an effort from the junior to save six shots on 18 attempts at the goal. Seattle U's Kailee Wilson had a strong first half as well assisting a goal and scoring one of her own as well. The Wildcats trailed 2-0 going into the second half. Two goals found their way into the net early in the second half as Seattle U then took a 4-0 lead. The 'Cats were eventually able to find their way onto the board as Mary-Jo Landon scored on a penalty kick to trim the deficit to three. The late effort was not enough from the 'Cats as they lost 4-1 moving them to 0-3-2.
 
Looking ahead at the Red Leafs:

The Red Leafs are coming off a California road trip where they took down Vanguard University 3-1 and tied with number 13 ranked Concordia University Irvine 3-3. The team's leading scorer is senior forward Kiera Scott after a strong two goal performance against Concordia. The Wildcats offense will have to find a groove and keep the pressure on freshman goalkeeper Sofia Piperni as they search for their first win of the season. Last season, Simon Fraser had a conference record of 9-2-3 and swept the Wildcats. The first match up was a low scoring affair with the Red Leafs winning 1-0 then scoring a few more in their next outing against the 'Cats with a 3-0 victory. The Wildcats will look to get off to a strong start in conference play knocking off one of the GNACs toughest opponents.

Looking ahead at the Vikings:

WWU is looking to start conference play strong as they concluded nonconference play with a 1-1 tie against Colorado School of Mines. Audrey Holdridge leads the team with two goals on the season. Ellie McGowan has held down the net for the Vikings who boasts a 2-1-2 record as the starting goalkeeper this season and has posted two shutouts while allowing three goals and making nine saves. Last season, the Vikings had a stellar 14-1-7 record, making it to the GNAC Tournament Championship game before falling in penalty kicks to SFU. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they played host, falling in the first round to Azusa Pacific in penalty kicks. The 'Cats and Vikings drew a 0-0 tie a season ago in their first matchup in Ellensburg but the Vikings came back for the 3-0 victory in Bellingham to conclude the regular season. 

Up Next:

The Wildcats will welcome their first conference opponents to Ellensburg when Western Oregon and Saint Martin's make the trek to the 'Burg. CWU will first play WOU on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 5:00 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend against SMU on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11:00 a.m. with both games happening on Steve Hertling Field at Tomlinson Stadium.