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Matt Potter

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Chat with head women's soccer coach Matt Potter.

Moderator: Good evening Cougar fans and thank you for visiting WSUCougars.com and this evening's chat with Washington State Head Soccer Coach Matt Potter. The Cougars are ranked 19th nationally and opened their 20th anniversary season last Friday with a 3-0 win over Idaho. Coach Potter, thank you for joining us this evening.

Matt Potter: It's a pleasure to be here again. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of those at the game on Friday and thank you for everyone's continued support of our program. It's obviously nice to get an anniversary year off to a great start and hopefully it serves as a precedent for the rest of our fall sports teams as they get their seasons started.

Ryan Wallace (Vancouver): Matt, After seeing how well the team has come together in pre-season and played so far against Idaho, and with hopefully a successful road trip do you think that Portland will take playing the Cougars as a real challenge? GO COUGS!!

Matt Potter: Ryan, thank you for the question. Portland is one of the nation's elite programs and knowing the staff and players I'm sure they will prepare for every game in a manner that looks to compete. There is a lot of soccer to be played between now and our game in Portland on Oct. 4. If we fulfill our potential then they will be prepared and looking forward to the match-up as much as we are.

Scott from Spokane: Hi coach! I coach my son's U-8 team and was wondering if you could point me to a website or other resource that could provide some fun games/drills that I could use at our practices. Looking forward to a great Cougar Soccer season! Thanks and good luck this year!

Matt Potter: Scott, thank you for the question and support of our program. You must be having a blast coaching under-8s. What a fun age to capture the beauty of our game. In regards to resources, both U.S. Soccer and the NSCAA have great websites and links to games and drills. Good luck with your team.

Arizona: What is the key to making the tournament again?

Matt Potter: Arizona, thank you for the question. To be a tournament team we will need to perform in a manner that fulfills our potential. I'm delighted with where our team is at; however, we are still a work in progress. Our schedule will demand the best out of us but that's the stage we wish to be on. Obviously, returning everyone from our NCAA Tournament team last fall gives us a greater understanding of what to expect and aspire to.

David Tucker (Bellingham): Coach: Congratulations on the outstanding job you and your teams are doing. I plan to be at all your home matches and most of the away matches. About the Portland match, do I need to purchase a ticket down there or can I just show up?

Matt Potter: David, thank you for the support and be sure to say Hi when you next visit Pullman. We have some great home matches and if the atmosphere of our first game is anything to go by, it makes for a great home field advantage for us. As for the Portland match you will need to contact their Athletic Department regarding tickets.

Moderator: Coach, can you talk about the 20th anniversary season and its significance?

Matt Potter: As we reflect on our 20 years of Cougar Soccer, the history of the program has many reasons to celebrate. We hope to do justice to all of those that have played their part in the program. I've really enjoyed seeing this year's commemorative poster and media guide, which offers a look at our current and some past players. I know our current players also want to create new history by having a successful season and giving all Cougar fans another reason to celebrate. Obviously, the highlight is our anniversary banquet on Sept. 25 honoring the past and the present. We are also using the banquet to launch our stadium project so we would love to see you there. Contact Cory McCoy at cory_mccoy@wsu.edu.

Chud (Pullman): It appears that your hair is getting quite long. There is a concern from your fan base that you will soon be confused with your players. When are you going to cut your hair?

Matt Potter: Chud, thank you for the question, I think! Looks can be deceiving. Hope to see you at the next home game and you can draw your own conclusion.

Moderator: That's all the time we have. Matt, thank you for joining us once again.

Matt Potter: Thank you for the opportunity to be here and for all of the support of our program. We'd love to see you at our games. I wish the fall sport teams well as they embark on their seasons.

Moderator: Thank you to everyone for your questions. Remember, to get all the information about WSU Athletics, go no further than wsucougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics. Please check back to wsucougars.com for future online chats.