CWU Women’s Soccer gets their first chance to play under the lights at the newly-renovated Tomlinson Stadium this Saturday, where they will face Western Washington University (WWU).

This being a rivalry game, head coach Michael Farrand challenges the CWU community by expecting a thousand fans to attend the game.

In Farrand’s 19 years of coaching, the highest number of attendees he has seen is 700.

There won’t be a football game in Ellensburg competing for attention; it’s going to be a first-ever home night game and it’s against a quality opponent WWU.

The prospect of playing such a high-profile affair has sophomore forward Madison Bradley excited.

“You just walk into the locker room and everybody’s pumped, like everyone’s excited to play, ready to play,” Bradley said.

According to CWU Athletics, history is not on CWU’s side in this rivalry game. Last season, CWU lost both matchups against WWU, losing by a combined eight goals to zero. CWU hasn’t beat WWU since 2011, having gone winless their last 13 attempts.

Despite the tough years they’ve had against WWU, the Wildcats believe they can not only win the series this year, but the GNAC as well.

“When we come out and play the game that we know how to play, and we do what we need to do, we’re unstoppable,” Bradley said.

Having won just one of their last nine games, in the first half of the season, the Wildcats are hoping to rebound.

According to Farrand, a big factor in the slow start was the smoke that enveloped the Central Washington region this summer. The air quality forced practice indoors, which doesn’t give the same atmosphere as grass fields.

A win over WWU would change the trajectory of the season and send the message across the GNAC that CWU is a contender. Because WWU has only lost to ranked opponents this year, a big part of picking up a win is going to be preparation.

Forward Makinzie Packwood said that they watch film on every team they play. How they plan to beat their opponent is based off what they see in film.

Farrand emphasizes that the team’s preparation for each opponent is the same, regardless of what their status or ranking is. He knows the expectations are high for this one and he’s be hoping to put on a show that will impress all Wildcat fans in attendance.

“I think [WWU] is one of the top teams in the region,” Farrand said. “You look at our conference and we’re the only conference in the country that actually has three champions in it.”

Farrand said that those three champions are Seattle Pacific University in 2008, Concordia in 2012 and WWU in 2016. Compared to the other sports at CWU, Farrand believes it’s the most competitive conference that a CWU sport competes in.

Another festivity surrounding this primetime contest will be Alumni Appreciation Night. This gives alumni a chance to come back and see the changes around campus.

According to CWU Athletics, tickets for this game cost $3 for seniors, students and faculty, and $6 for everyone else. There are high hopes to reach a thousand attendees, so bring some pals to Tomlinson Stadium this Saturday at 7 p.m. for the big game.