SALT LAKE CITY – Hailey Skolmoski's goal in the 85th minute provided the lone score of the contest as No. 22 Utah defeated Washington State 1-0 in front of 1,222 fans at Ute Field Friday night.
 
Locked in a tight battle, Skolmoski provided the difference as she collected a ball over the top, split the Cougar defense and fired a low shot inside the right post that beat goalkeeper Ella Dederick for the goal. It marked Skolmoski's 11th goal of the season, third in the Pac-12.
 
Washington State (6-7-1, 1-5-0 Pac-12) had a chance early as Kaitlyn Johnson dribbled though the midfield before sliding a pass to Morgan Weaver, who had a one-on-one with Utah (10-2-2, 5-0-1) goalkeeper July Mathias. Weaver looked as though she beat Mathias but the keeper recovered in time to make the save.
 
Midway through the half Kaitlyn Johnson found senior teammate Kailiana Johnson inside the box who ripped a shot that skimmed the top of the crossbar.
 
Early in the second half Utah launched a barrage of shots on Dederick and the Cougar defense, all of which were stopped as the score remained 0-0 after 50 minutes. Five minutes later Dederick made another strong save, denying a one-on-one opportunity to keep her slate clean.
 
For the game Utah held a 19-11 advantage in shots, including a 14-3 margin in the second half. The Utes also held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks while Dederick recorded six saves and Mathias three on the night.
 
The Cougars are next in action Thursday when they travel to Los Angeles to face No. 5 USC. Match time is set for 2 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
 
--wsucougars.com--