No. 13 Georgia Heads West to Face Washington State

#13/13 Georgia (4-1-0, 0-0-0 SEC) at Washington State (0-1-1, 0-0-0 WCC)
Date: Sunday, Aug. 31
Time: 4 p.m. EDT
Location: Pullman, Wash.
Site: Lower Soccer Field

MEDIA INFORMATION
Stream: ESPN+ (Trevor Williams, PxP)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Georgia leads 1-0-0
In Athens: Georgia leads 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 4-1 (Sept. 15, 2024 – Athens, Ga.)
Current Streak: W1
GF / GA: 4 / 1

QUICK KICKS
Heading Out West
No. 13 Georgia heads on the road for the first time this season to face Washington State Sunday in Pullman. The Bulldogs opened the season with five consecutive home matches, closing out with four consecutive shutout wins, including their first-ever victory over North Carolina. Sunday's match is the second meeting between the Bulldogs and Cougars, with Georgia prevailing, 4-1, last season in Athens. Dasia Torbert earned a brace, while Washington native Aly Akers and Cougar transfer Margie Detrizio each scoring a goal. Head coach Keidane McAlpine returns to the Palouse, where he led Washington State to consecutive NCAA Tournament bids in his two seasons at the helm (2012-13). McAlpine is 8-0-1 against WSU, with the lone tie coming in a 2021 match in Pullman during his final season at USC.

Washington State has only played in two matches during the 2025 season, falling 1-0 to future Pac-12 colleague Utah State, followed by a 1-1 tie at Idaho on Thursday. The Cougars were picked to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, with senior defender Jenna Studer appearing on the Preseason All-WCC Team. This is Washington State's second and final season in the WCC as it will resume competition in the reconstituted Pac-12 beginning next fall. The Cougars and Bulldogs feature one roster connection with both teams' #4, Delanie Corcoran and Maddy Herniter, playing together for Beach FC.

Summer, Summer, Summertime
Redshirt junior midfielder Summer Denigan has asserted herself as one of the nation's top players in the early going of the 2025 season. Through five matches, Denigan has tallied five goals (ranked sixth nationally) and an assist, including a nation-leading four match-winning goals. In the Georgia record books, Denigan ranks fifth in winners with 10 in her career, while a goal against the Cougars can tie Gabby Seiler's program record of five consecutive matches with a score set in 2014. This past week, Denigan was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career, followed by placements on TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week and National Player of the Year Leaderboard.

Dominant Dawgs
No. 13 Georgia posted one of its most dominant performances in program history in a 6-0 win over North Florida Thursday at Turner. The Bulldogs put up 21 shots (12 on frame), while allowing zero opponent shots for only the third time in program history and the first since blanking FAU on Sept. 4, 2009. The Georgia defense also allowed zero corner kicks for the second time this season, following the UAlbany match on Aug. 17. Kiera Staude recorded her first career hat trick, working with teammates Sage Glover and Hailey Gordon on a pair of give-and-goes, along with slicing the Osprey backline for her second score. Summer Denigan scored her fourth-consecutive match-winning goal with a free kick strike in the 13th minute, giving her the national lead in winners. The Bulldogs' offense has been humming in the early going with 17 goals in five matches (ninth nationally), dramatically outpacing the mark set in each of Coach McAlpine's first three seasons: 12 (2022), 10 (2024), and 7 (2023)

A Feast of Firsts
Georgia's win over North Florida featured a number of important firsts for the Bulldog roster. Freshmen Ava Stack and Andrea Lazar each scored their first career goals, while senior Sage Glover and freshman Hailey Gordon each tallied their first assists as Bulldogs. Junior defender Tyler Kaseta made her first career start, playing a career-high 77 minutes on the backline, with junior midfielder Devon Winters making her first start of the season. Finally, redshirt freshman defender Kamryn Winger made her collegiate field debut, recording 32 second half minutes.

Collecting Clean Sheets
The Georgia backline and goalkeepers have helped mount an impressive four-match shutout streak, the program's longest since five straight early in the 2022 season. The strong play of the Bulldogs' backline has resulted in freshman keeper Hannah Folliard only tallying nine saves in her first five starts, while redshirt freshman Nicole Bidun has yet to face a shot on frame in three appearances. In turn, the Bulldogs' defensive prowess has opened up the offensive attack, with Georgia's 17 goals in its past four outings equaling the same scoring output produced during the program-best eight-match shutout streak set in 1999.

Picking Up the Hardware
Thanks to consecutive shutouts over No. 12 North Carolina and Michigan, Georgia cleaned up on weekly honors from both national and conference sources. In addition to Summer Denigan's honors, freshman Lily Kate Elphick was also named SEC Freshman of the Week for her astounding clinching goal against UNC. As a team, the Bulldogs were ranked 13th by both the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer. The mark ties the highest held by the program under Keidane McAlpine in the year-end poll of 2023. In non-COVID seasons, Georgia's highest-ever ranking was No. 12 in September 1999.

Up Next
No. 13 Georgia returns to Athens for its non-conference home finale, matching up with Wyoming on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Turner Soccer Complex. Admission is free for all fans, with the match streaming live on SEC Network+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aly Akers

Nicole Bidun

Summer Denigan

Margie Detrizio

Lily Kate Elphick

Hannah Folliard

Sage Glover

Hailey Gordon

Maddy Herniter

Tyler Kaseta

Andrea Lazar

Ava Stack

Kiera Staude

Dasia Torbert

Kamryn Winger

Devon Winters