LOS ANGELES – Gabbi Miranda's goal in the 77th minute broke a 1-1 tie and gave No. 12 UCLA a 2-1 victory over Washington State Sunday afternoon at Drake Stadium.
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The Cougars (6-9-1, 1-7-0 Pac-12) played from behind for much of the game after conceding a goal in the 18th minute. With time winding down in the second half,
Maegan O'Neill dribbled into the heart of the UCLA (12-3-1, 6-1-1 Pac-12) defense before sending it out wide to
Kelsee Crenshaw. Crenshaw then found
Alysha Overland in a crowded box and the Cougar sophomore beat goalkeeper Teagan Micah for the equalizer. It marked Overland's fifth goal of the season and the first WSU goal in the past three games.
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The game did not stay tied for long as UCLA ran a nice give-and-go at the top of the box, resulting in a Miranda goal that beat WSU keeper
Ella Dederick to the upper-left corner. It was Miranda's third goal of the season and stood as the game-winner.
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UCLA jumped on top in the first half when Micah's long throw from the Bruin end found Courtney Proctor, which began a two-on-one against Cougar defender
Susie White. Proctor fired from distance and hit the inside of the post, with the deflection rolling in for the game's first score.
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For the game the Cougars outshot the Bruins, 14-9, though UCLA held the advantage in corner kicks, 7-3. Dederick, who recorded five saves on the afternoon, moved into sixth place on WSU's career saves list with 152, passing Brynn Bemis (2004-07) who had 148.
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WSU returns to Lower Soccer Field Thursday when it hosts Oregon State at 7 p.m. The match will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
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