CANYON, Texas, GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado's 2026-27 seasons officially kick off with a rare Thursday triple-header, as two of the Mountaineer teams are on the road while the third opens Paul Wright Gym with a three-day volleyball tournament.

WOMAN'S SOCCER AT WEST TEXAS A&M
Thu., Aug. 27, 2 p.m. MT | Pitch-Buffalo Sports Park | Canyon, Texas
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• The Mountaineers are 1-2 against the Lady Buffs, most recently suffering a tough loss last season at Katy O. Rady Field on a tie-breaking goal in the 88th minute in a 3-2 loss to WTAMU.
• The Mountaineers' win over the Buffs came in their first meeting, a 2-0 shutout in a neutral site game in 2021.

No. 11 FOOTBALL AT WEST TEXAS A&M
Thu., Aug. 27, 6 p.m. MT | Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium | Canyon, Texas
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• The Buffs won the first three games in this series, in 2012, 2013 and in 2022, but Western has won the last three outings in these past three years. The Mountaineers hosted the Buffs to open the season in 2025 and added that third victory with a commanding 45-28 win at Mojo Field in the Mountaineer Bowl at the Rady Family Sports Complex.
• The Mountaineers earned spots in both the D2Football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) preseason polls, sitting at No. 11 in both. The Buffs received votes for the AFCA top-25, placing within the top 50 of the vote-getters.

VOLLEYBALL HOSTS VIRGINIA HARRIS/JEANIE MILLER INVITATIONAL sponsored by Pepsi
Southwestern Oklahoma State at Western Colorado
Thu., Aug. 27, 6 p.m. | Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
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N.M. Highlands at Western Colorado
Fri., Aug. 28, 4:30 p.m. | Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
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Sul Ross (Texas) State at Western Colorado
Sat., Aug. 29, 11:30 a.m. | Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
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Lubbock Christian (Texas) at Western Colorado
Sat., Aug. 29, 7 p.m. | Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
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• The Mountaineers mix in a long-time opponent in New Mexico Highlands with a trio of rare opponents to their schedule.
• A non-conference match on Friday against Highlands, the two meet often in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action, with Western holding a 15-14 overall advantage in the historical record. The Cowgirls broke a three-match losing streak to the Mountaineers with last season's 3-2 victory in in Las Vegas, N.M., following a Western win streak that saw 3-1, 3-1 and 3-0 wins over the Cowgirls.
• Western will open Saturday against a first-time opponent in Sul Ross (Texas) State then finish off the Invitational against Lubbock Christian, who won the only match between the two teams, a 3-0 win in 2013 in a neutral-site match in Canyon, Texas.
• The season opener on Thursday night will pit Western against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The only meeting between the two programs was in 2023 when the Bulldogs scored a 3-0 over the Mountaineers.

UP NEXT

• Soccer will make a pit stop in Portales, N.M., on the way home from Texas, for an Aug. 29 non-conference game at Eastern New Mexico University.
• Football will host its home opener on Thu., Sept. 3 with a Red Out game against visiting Angelo State (Texas) University.
• Volleyball leaves the mainland for its next matches, heading West for the Sept. 3-5 Hawaii Challenge where it will square off with Western Oregon University, host Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.