A number of scenarios favored the Wildcats winning at least a share of the Big Sky title, if not an outright crown, related to WSU’s match and second-place Northern Colorado’s home tilt against third-place Northern Arizona. Any result in Greeley in which NoCo didn’t win would give WSU the crown, while at least a draw for WSU would secure a shared title or better.

But WSU could control its fate and an outright title with a victory.

In that moment, Idaho State’s Samantha Fenske fired a penalty kick to the right as WSU’s Lauren Butorac guessed the other direction, knotting that match 1-1 in the 20th minute. At almost the exact same moment in time, Ava Marshall scored to put Northern Colorado ahead 2-0 in the 21st minute of that contest.

It was indeed brief.

Just one minute later in Ogden, Weber State’s Simone Packer fired a straightaway one-timer into the net, giving Weber a 2-1 halftime lead.

Nobody could foresee what that set up: a record-setting, 9-1 onslaught that gave Weber State women’s soccer the outright Big Sky regular-season championship, the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament, and hosting rights to the 2027 tournament in the second year under head coach Kyle Christensen.

Big Sky golden boot winner Lily Blum put a wrap on her crown with some emphasis, scoring twice within the first 6 minutes out of halftime to push the lead to 4-1 for Weber State (11-6-2, 7-1-1) and improve her WSU single-season record.

That seemed to break the spirit of Idaho State, who was part of a group of three teams playing for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament.

Weber State scored four goals in a 6-minute span, including twice in the 59th minute to start the avalanche. Packer scored her second goal of the game for a 5-1 lead, and Oakley Anderson became a hat-trick scorer with goals in the 59th and 64th minutes.

That only made it 7-1. Cici Garcia scored twice, in the 65th and 84th minutes, to push the Wildcats into the record books with a 9-1 victory and a trophy celebration.

Weber State and Northern Colorado, the top two seeds, bye out of the first round on Nov. 11 and into the tournament semifinals.

WSU will face the winner of No. 4 Idaho and No. 5 Utah Tech at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in Missoula, Montana, where a Griz team that is not part of the field will host. WSU tied Idaho 1-1 on the road and beat Utah Tech 5-0 at home.

Based on all of Thursday’s results, Idaho State still made the field as the No. 6 seed, facing No. 3 Northern Arizona in the first round. No. 2 Northern Colorado gets that winner.

The championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. All five matches in the conference tournament will stream on ESPN+.

RECORDS AND NOTES

This is WSU soccer’s first conference championship since 2018.

Weber State’s nine goals are the most against a Division I opponent in 25 years, tying the program record for most goals against a DI foe. WSU beat Youngstown State 9-1 in 2001.

It’s also WSU’s most goals scored against a Big Sky opponent, far eclipsing last year’s 6-0 win over Sacramento State.

With eyes on two or more matches remaining this season, Blum’s 14 goals has crushed WSU’s program record for goals in a season, previously 11 (Rochelle Hoover, 2005). It also puts her in a top-five group of goal scorers in Big Sky history; only four other players in Big Sky women’s soccer history have scored more than her (Karen Hardy, Montana 1997, has the record at 17).

Anderson’s hat trick is the seventh in program history, all tied atop WSU’s record book for most goals scored in one game. The last three have all come against Idaho State (Anderson on Thursday, Grace Kirby 2005, Morgan Furmaniak 2022).

With 39 total goals, the 2026 Weber State team is currently tied for third (with 2005) in program history for goals scored. The only teams with more are 1997 (49) and 1996 (43). Christensen has the Wildcats scoring at a high clip; the 2025 team finished with 35 goals, now fifth-most in WSU’s history.

Weber State has not lost to Idaho State in the last 11 matchups (8-0-3).