BERKELEY, Calif. – Arielle Ship converted a 77th-minute penalty kick to lead No. 17 California to a 1-0 victory over Washington State Sunday morning at Goldman Field.
 
California (10-2-0, 3-0-0 Pac-12) possessed the ball deep in the Cougar (5-5-1, 0-3-0 Pac-12) end as Ifeoma Onumonu angled in from the left side before sliding a pass inside the box. After a touch, WSU defender Kailiana Johnson appeared to have sealed off Kayla Fong from the ball but as the two both fell to the ground, it was Johnson who was called for the penalty.
 
Ship stepped up on the ensuing penalty kick and delivered it past Ella Dederick for her seventh goal of the season and only score of the contest.
 
Late in the contest the Cougars pressured the Cal defense as WSU had three corner kicks in the final minute and a last-second shot from Morgan Weaver that sailed wide, ending any hope for a comeback.
 
The Cougars had early chances as Nicole Marlow fed Weaver who had a good look at the net, but her shot sailed over the crossbar in the sixth minute.
 
In the 28th minute Chelsea Harkins, who scored her first career goal against Cal in a 1-0 win in 2014, nearly repeated the feat as she rifled a shot from 30 yards out that forced Cal goalkeeper Emily Boyd to make a tip-save, keeping the game at 0-0.
 
For the game the Cal held a 16-15 advantage in shots, though the cougars edge a 6-3 edge in corner kicks. Dederick made three saves in net for WSU by Boyd was forced into two saves.
 
The Cougars return home to Lower Soccer Field Thursday when they host Arizona at 7 p.m.