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Griz Soccer 2026

WAGrizFan said:
These days with so many players transferring to good programs, it sometimes take roster spots historically going incoming freshmen. Ole Miss Coach Todd Shulenberger (formerly of WSU) currently has 33 players listed on his 2026 roster - and must cut to get to 28.

Wonder if Shulenberger told his commit that he had no roster room - but hinted of roster spots open in Missoula?? Or maybe Finley McKnight and Coach Gore found each other via his Griz messaging???
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Todd is not that nice of guy to do that. Come May 1 you’re going to see a lot of good players, mostly freshman and sophomores go into the portal as we are seeing players now announcing there intention to enter. Get ready for a few WSU players in the portal.

Happy hunting.
 
MontanaGrizSoccer said:
Todd is not that nice of guy to do that. Come May 1 you’re going to see a lot of good players, mostly freshman and sophomores go into the portal as we are seeing players now announcing there intention to enter. Get ready for a few WSU players in the portal.

Happy hunting.
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Not so sure on the WSU players - Citowicki has a tidy roster right now of 28 -inc. incoming freshman, and team seems solid. Caught their spring game vs. EWU and it was a blowout (well, 3-0, but coulda been 7-0). Essentially the ‘25 Griz defense with Cougar offensive firepower.
We’ll need to get some maturity & experience out of the portal if we want to contend
 
TDS and Prep Soccer show several WSU 2026 commits not listed on the current roster.

One has recently commited to Gonzaga, one is staying in Texas and a GK is now committed to the Griz.

Have no idea on the others except their Instagram still shows WSU.
 
GrizLars said:
Not so sure on the WSU players - Citowicki has a tidy roster right now of 28 -inc. incoming freshman, and team seems solid. Caught their spring game vs. EWU and it was a blowout (well, 3-0, but coulda been 7-0). Essentially the ‘25 Griz defense with Cougar offensive firepower.
We’ll need to get some maturity & experience out of the portal if we want to contend
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Contend against what tho, Washington state or EWU?
 
neon90 said:
I believe JC transfer is Elli Lewis from Boise, Idaho -- played at Northwest College where she was JUCO All-American 2 years ago. (24 goals and 14 assists in 2 years.) Was top player in Idaho but potentially didn't play junior year of high school so maybe she suffered an injury (???) That is complete speculation on my part. And as someone else posted, she is a sprinter as well. Appears to be a solid offensive player who knows how to play, has some speed. Promising pick
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WAGrizFan said:
TDS and Prep Soccer show several WSU 2026 commits not listed on the current roster.

One has recently commited to Gonzaga, one is staying in Texas and a GK is now committed to the Griz.

Have no idea on the others except their Instagram still shows WSU.
Click to expand...

GrizLars said:
Not so sure on the WSU players - Citowicki has a tidy roster right now of 28 -inc. incoming freshman, and team seems solid. Caught their spring game vs. EWU and it was a blowout (well, 3-0, but coulda been 7-0). Essentially the ‘25 Griz defense with Cougar offensive firepower.
We’ll need to get some maturity & experience out of the portal if we want to contend
Click to expand...
Don’t read too much into spring games, EWU played a number of players that might be in the portal. The Griz have good Defense but it’s the team froze, played scared and showed they didn’t have the speed against UW. Don’t be surprised if there near bottom of the PAC Utah state is the best team.

They have 28 players with 4 goalies and several players coming off acl surgeries that won’t be ready until mid year which count against cap. Don’t be surprised to see some players in portal.
 
WAGrizFan said:
TDS and Prep Soccer show several WSU 2026 commits not listed on the current roster.

One has recently commited to Gonzaga, one is staying in Texas and a GK is now committed to the Griz.

Have no idea on the others except their Instagram still shows WSU.
Click to expand...
WAGrizFan said:
TDS and Prep Soccer show several WSU 2026 commits not listed on the current roster.

One has recently commited to Gonzaga, one is staying in Texas and a GK is now committed to the Griz.

Have no idea on the others except their Instagram still shows WSU.
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Not sure I am following you here. Who committed to Gonzaga and who is staying in Texas.
 
MontanaGrizSoccer said:
Not sure I am following you here. Who committed to Gonzaga and who is staying in Texas.
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Kelli Chapple flipped from WSU to Gonzaga, and Prep Soccer shows Landry Warren of Sting Black in Texas as a WSU commit. Warren is now committed to Hardin Simmons University.

GK Lorelei Rustay of Bay Area Surf has multiple photos as a WSU commit - but recently flipped to Montana.
 
Also Irvin is now committed to Ole Miss.
WSU has 3 commits that they aren't listing on their roster currently: Delaney Hawkins, Kingston Worke and Lily Wale. In March they also announced they added another 2026 commit, but they haven't published who that is. That would put them at 31-32 for next fall. So not a tidy 28.
 
IDGrizFan said:
Also Irvin is now committed to Ole Miss.
WSU has 3 commits that they aren't listing on their roster currently: Delaney Hawkins, Kingston Worke and Lily Wale. In March they also announced they added another 2026 commit, but they haven't published who that is. That would put them at 31-32 for next fall. So not a tidy 28.
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The plot thickens!! There not listed due to 1. Being told to go else where and there still looking for a home or 2. Chris is purposely not listing them knowing he needs to cut players to drop to 28.
 
neon90 said:
yeah, a lot of hat, not a lot of cattle. Really need to find more financial support for the program and a broader base. Only 14 people donated - and I thought there was excitement here for the locker room project that may generate more support,. But never getting there at this rate. The donor base is not reliant on and shouldn't be reliant on parents of players. How about the alumni group? Are there any alumni on here that can speak to what they are doing to raise funds for the program?
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Agree. You’re going to need Coach Gore or alumni reach out to businesses for nil/jersey patches/naming rights as I don’t think Haslam has the best interest of the program.
 
IDGrizFan said:
Also Irvin is now committed to Ole Miss.
WSU has 3 commits that they aren't listing on their roster currently: Delaney Hawkins, Kingston Worke and Lily Wale. In March they also announced they added another 2026 commit, but they haven't published who that is. That would put them at 31-32 for next fall. So not a tidy 28.
Click to expand...
Yes, those three ‘26 players are still WSU commits. So Chris will need to cut 3 after Spring ball (or maybe they will self-select & enter portal). But with 4 GKs and 11 forwards on the Coug roster, there is some obvious weeding that needs to happen anyway.
I agree with post above - Gore needs to target more experienced players to round out Griz roster to be competitive
 
Getting some experienced transfers will help the young Griz team, and Grace Olson who has already transferred from D-II St. Cloud State in Minnesota looks to be a good addition. She is 5'9" senior and is a two-time D-II All-Central Region Team honoree as a midfielder and has also played defender.

In the fall 2025 season, the St. Cloud State Huskies advanced to the third round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA D-II Championship, and Olson had an assist on the winning goal in the first round and scored the winning goal in overtime to advance out of the second-round. A 1-0 loss to Washburn in the third round ended the Huskies season (yes, that Washburn, whose coach spent a day interviewing in Missoula before hightailing it back to Missouri). A previous Griz profile article mentioned Olson could play holding mid.

Incoming freshman Cate Gusick is 5' 11" and was Nevada Defensive Player of the Year. Olson and Gusick should add size to help outside back Lucie Rokos defend for the Griz.
 
WAGrizFan said:
Kelli Chapple flipped from WSU to Gonzaga, and Prep Soccer shows Landry Warren of Sting Black in Texas as a WSU commit. Warren is now committed to Hardin Simmons University.

GK Lorelei Rustay of Bay Area Surf has multiple photos as a WSU commit - but recently flipped to Montana.
Click to expand...

NorcalGrizzly said:
Yes, those three ‘26 players are still WSU commits. So Chris will need to cut 3 after Spring ball (or maybe they will self-select & enter portal). But with 4 GKs and 11 forwards on the Coug roster, there is some obvious weeding that needs to happen anyway.
I agree with post above - Gore needs to target more experienced players to round out Griz roster to be competitive
Click to expand...

NorcalGrizzly said:
Yes, those three ‘26 players are still WSU commits. So Chris will need to cut 3 after Spring ball (or maybe they will self-select & enter portal). But with 4 GKs and 11 forwards on the Coug roster, there is some obvious weeding that needs to happen anyway.
I agree with post above - Gore needs to target more experienced players to round out Griz roster to be competitive
Click to expand...

WAGrizFan said:
Getting some experienced transfers will help the young Griz team, and Grace Olson who has already transferred from D-II St. Cloud State in Minnesota looks to be a good addition. She is 5'9" senior and is a two-time D-II All-Central Region Team honoree as a midfielder and has also played defender.

In the fall 2025 season, the St. Cloud State Huskies advanced to the third round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA D-II Championship, and Olson had an assist on the winning goal in the first round and scored the winning goal in overtime to advance out of the second-round. A 1-0 loss to Washburn in the third round ended the Huskies season (yes, that Washburn, whose coach spent a day interviewing in Missoula before hightailing it back to Missouri). A previous Griz profile article mentioned Olson could play holding mid.

Incoming freshman Cate Gusick is 5' 11" and was Nevada Defensive Player of the Year. Olson and Gusick should add size to help outside back Lucie Rokos defend for the Griz.
Click to expand...
The will be young and will show growing pains, but the 2026 class has the potential to be a special class. I think they need a few more experienced forwards and Center Backs, Ellie Lewis the JC transfer will provide speed on top and will create scoring chances. According to Proven Sports Management, the 2025-2026 DI portal so far was 80% freshman and sophomores, will see how the May portal shakes out.
 
WSU: if I was a GKer on the WSU roster and my name wasn't Dvorak, I'd leave. You aren't seeing the field next season. I'll put money on that right now.
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Griz: can't bank on freshmen. 2026 class is in good shape and think the group is quite promising - but will see! College soccer is just different. It's one thing to have a few freshmen jump in, another to rely on mostly on freshmen. Physically it's just different than club soccer. So just think we really need some experience and feels like we need the spine - experienced CB is most critical imho as it can do so much solidify things for the whole team and a rookie GK'er, if that's where we end up. Griz have had great CB's for years and we need the next one to fill the legacy. Then, an experienced GKer and a traditional striker IMHO. If you can't land that out of this portal, then... well, it'll be a long season.
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Really think J needs to be able to land an experienced GKer in the portal. If he was a football coach who we considered to be a hot-shot QB or RB coach but couldn't recruit any QB/RBs out of the portal... they wouldn't last, right? Let's go J! Time to shine! It's your one job over the next 3 months - land an experienced GK'er! (Do people recognize that we haven't had a GK'er last a full career under J? Not since Howard have we had a goalkeeper stay their full career. Just an observation.)
 
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neon90 said:
WSU: My guess is the players with ACL's will be non-rostered - Whalen, Nowels, and one of the WSU ACLs from last year. Now, if I was a GKer on the WSU roster and my name wasn't Dvorak, I'd leave. You aren't seeing the field next season. I'll put money on that right now.
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Griz: can't bank on freshmen. 2026 class is in good shape and think the group is quite promising - but will see! College soccer is just different. It's one thing to have a few freshmen jump in, another to rely on mostly on freshmen. Physically it's just different than club soccer. So just think we really need some experience and feels like we need the spine - experienced CB is most critical imho as it can do so much solidify things for the whole team and a rookie GK'er, if that's where we end up. Griz have had great CB's for years and we need the next one to fill the legacy. Then, an experienced GKer and a traditional striker IMHO. If you can't land that out of this portal, then... well, it'll be a long season.
-
Really think J needs to be able to land an experienced GKer in the portal. If he was a football coach who we considered to be a hot-shot QB or RB coach but couldn't recruit any QB/RBs out of the portal... they wouldn't last, right? Let's go J! Time to shine! It's your one job over the next 3 months - land an experienced GK'er! (Do people recognize that we haven't had a GK'er last a full career under J? Not since Howard have we had a goalkeeper stay their full career. Just an observation.)
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Time to shine J Landham! LFG!!!
 
neon90 said:
WSU: My guess is the players with ACL's will be non-rostered - Whalen, Nowels, and one of the WSU ACLs from last year. Now, if I was a GKer on the WSU roster and my name wasn't Dvorak, I'd leave. You aren't seeing the field next season. I'll put money on that right now.
-
Griz: can't bank on freshmen. 2026 class is in good shape and think the group is quite promising - but will see! College soccer is just different. It's one thing to have a few freshmen jump in, another to rely on mostly on freshmen. Physically it's just different than club soccer. So just think we really need some experience and feels like we need the spine - experienced CB is most critical imho as it can do so much solidify things for the whole team and a rookie GK'er, if that's where we end up. Griz have had great CB's for years and we need the next one to fill the legacy. Then, an experienced GKer and a traditional striker IMHO. If you can't land that out of this portal, then... well, it'll be a long season.
-
Really think J needs to be able to land an experienced GKer in the portal. If he was a football coach who we considered to be a hot-shot QB or RB coach but couldn't recruit any QB/RBs out of the portal... they wouldn't last, right? Let's go J! Time to shine! It's your one job over the next 3 months - land an experienced GK'er! (Do people recognize that we haven't had a GK'er last a full career under J? Not since Howard have we had a goalkeeper stay their full career. Just an observation.)
Click to expand...
Good synopsis, let’s see what the May portal brings. Two things, if they get an experienced GK, that could possibly give them 4 GK as they have 2027 GK committed. With the House roster limits if your not rostered my understanding is you loose your scholarship and can’t attend any team functions as you can have 28 players.
 
We need to have 3 GK'ers for 2026 season - ideally one that has played some college minutes. Don't want to go into the fall season with two freshmen goalkeepers - and if we are planning to do that which is quite risky, we don't want inexperienced CB's. I am thinking a 1-and-done goalkeeper. And if that goal keeper has more than 1 year of eligibility then you decide who the best 3 are for the 2027 season after next season.
 
I think a back up power 4 keeper who’s ready to step out of someone shadow (most likely 1 and done)

A center back very similar just want to play and be successful (2 years remaining)

An Attacking midfield, high mid major or P4 that wants to play soccer.

Goal scoring forward (that want there final year to be epic)
 
Big ECNL tournament in Phoenix/Scottsdale this weekend.

Phoenix Rising, Boise Thorns FC, So Cal Blues, and Bay Area Surf all had good matches.

I didn't watch any games but did run into some girls from a couple teams at an In-N-Out in Scottsdale
 
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