Cowgirls draw with Bison in rainy Fargo

FARGO, N.D., -- The University of Wyoming soccer team has dealt with a multitude of weather and atmospheric conditions this season. It has been windy, it has been stormy and it has been smoky.

Thursday at North Dakota State, it was rainy. And even amid yet another adverse natural condition, the Cowgirls didn’t back down.

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Wyoming earned a come-from-behind 1-1 draw against the Bison at Dakotah Field. The result pushes the Cowgirls’ record to 3-0-1 and the Bison to 0-4-1.

“I’m just really, really proud of them,” head coach Colleen Corbin said. “To go down on the road and then immediately turn around and respond and continue to put pressure on their backline was really good to see.”

The record through four games ties the best start in school history. The 2018 squad – that went on to tie for the Mountain West Conference regular-season title – also began the season 3-0-1.

To achieve the program‘s best start, the Cowgirls had to rally, once again. Wyoming has now trailed in three of its four matches, showing tremendous resolve to overcome deficits.

“I do think we dictated the pace of the game, for the most part,” Corbin said. “So when we have a defensive breakdown or we get scored on a counter, we know that because we’ve been dictating the game that we have control and will respond and we will get a goal.

“At no point does the mindset change, which is pretty special.”

Sophomore forward Alyssa Bedard represented the game-tying score Thursday. She found the back of the net, unassisted, in the 76th minute.

The score occurred just moments after the Bison tallied the game’s first goal. Olivia Watson logged a score, unassisted, in the 72ndminute to give NDSU a brief advantage.

It was a pretty level game with regard to offensive chances. Wyoming held a slight 18-16 edge in shots, however, a dozen of the Cowgirls’ shots were on target, while only six of Bison’s were on frame.

Bedard had four shots, all of which challenged NDSU goalkeeper Sofia Howe. Redshirt-junior midfielder Jamie Tatum registered five shots, two of which were on target, while freshman forward Maddi Chance had three shots, and all of them were on frame.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Daws tied a career-high with four saves. She has yet to allow more than one goal in a single game.

Wyoming remains on the road, traveling to Minnesota on Sunday for a 12 p.m. match. The Gophers are 2-0-2 and are fresh off a 1-1 draw against Mississippi State on Thursday.

“(Minnesota) is a good soccer playing team, and I think that will compliment us a little bit better,” Corbin said. “As hard as our girls compete, and as gritty and feisty as we are right now, we are trying to play. We are going to have that opportunity on Sunday against a really good side that will be strong and athletic.”