WASHINGTON STATE (10-7-4) at No. 16 FLORIDA (16-6-0)
11 a.m. PT | Sunday | Nov. 19, 2017
Gainesville, Fla. | Donald R. Dizney Stadium
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
The Cougs and the Gators have never faced one another on the field...the winner of the game will take on the winner of Santa Clara / South Carolina...the Gamecocks are the No. 1 seed in the region.
COUGSÂ MOVE ON TO THE SWEET 16
For the first time in program history, the Cougs moved on to the NCAA Third Round after beating No. 20 Tennessee on penalty kicks Friday...the PK victory was the first for the Cougs since 2011 after losing their last two shootouts in the postseason in 2012 and 2013...the 2-2 draw was the sixth double-overtime game for WSU in the postseason...the Cougs returned to the postseason for the eighth time in the last 10 years and the third time in the last four...WSU sports a 3-8-4 record in the NCAA tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: COUGS ADVANCE ON PKS OVER No. 20 TENNESSEE
For the first time in Washington State soccer history, the Cougs (10-7-4) pushed their way into the third round of the NCAA Championships after advancing past #20 Tennessee (15-4-2) on penalty kicks, 3-1, Friday afternoon in the Florida regional. The Cougs dominated the shootout thanks to three huge saves from
Ella Dederick as the redshirt-junior denied three-straight Volunteer attempts. On the other end, the Cougs would not be denied as
Maegan O'Neill,
Sofia Anker-Kofoed, and
Jordan Branch all calmly slotted home their attempts from the spot. For WSU, the shootout victory would not have been possible without the late game heroics from their senior
Kelsee Crenshaw as the fourth-year outside back staved off elimination and the end to her collegiate career with a long-range bomb in the 79' to even the game at 2-2. Crenshaw's rocket from deep was necessary after Tennessee took a 2-1 lead into the locker room thanks to a pair of goals Danielle Marcano. Marcano's strikes put the Vols ahead after WSU had opened the scoring in just the 13' when sophomore sensation
Morgan Weaver drilled her first postseason goal on the Cougs first shot of the day.
ABOUT THE GATORS
The Gators advanced to the third round after defeating South Florida, 1-0, Friday night...Florida, ranked #16 in the country, was once ranked as high as #2 after handing Stanford their lone loss of the season back in August...Florida's 21 overall NCAA appearances ties for 11th among Division I programs...Florida is 34-17-4 all-time in NCAA play...leading the offense is Deanne Rose with eight goals...defensively, Kaylan Marckese has 10 of the Gators' 16 wins while posting eight shutouts including the 1-0 shutout of USF Friday.
WHAT'S BEING SAID
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