Box Score In Case You Missed It
LOS ANGELES – A pair of early goals put No. 19 Washington State (10-4-1, 3-3-1) in a hole it could not recover from as No. 7 USC (12-2-1, 5-2-0) dropped the Cougs with a 3-0 decision on a scorching afternoon in Los Angeles. Using individual brilliance, USC's Tara McKeown, the second-leading scorer in the Pac-12, notched an early brace for the Trojans, netting the would-be game-winner just 3:52 into the contest. She would strike again 13 minutes later on a counter that doubled the lead outracing the Cougars' defense before finding the back of the net a second time. Despite the early deficit the Cougs would continue to press, coming up with a handful of chances throughout the late goings of the first half including a free-kick blast by freshman
MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson that was just flicked away over the crossbar. Still within reach the Cougs would see the Trojans put the game away in the 55' with a third goal, this time by Penelope Hocking who took matters into her own hands to notch her 10th goal of the year. From there the two sides would battle to a stalemate, in large part to the stellar play of super-senior
Ella Dederick in goal who kept her team in the game even though the Cougs could not fight their way back into the contest on the scoreboard.
Stat of the Match
The Cougars were outshot for just the third time on the year as the Trojans posted a 17-10 advantage on the stat sheet.
The Moments That Made The Match
Things You Need To Know
- Washington State suffered its third shutout in the last four contests while being outshot for just the third time on the year.
- USC earned its sixth-straight win over the Cougars and improved to 15-7-3 in the all-time series.
- The temperature was 98 degrees at kickoff, the hottest game-time temperature for the Cougars on the year.
- Ella Dederick recorded six saves in the contest, pushing her career total to 275, 15 short of No. 2 on the Cougars' all-time list.
- Makamae Gomera-Stevens lead the Cougars' attack with four shots, one on goal.
- The Cougars get another crack at a top-20 opponent Sunday, Oct. 27 when they take on No. 19 UCLA at Noon on the Pac-12 Network. WSU has won the last two meetings between the two sides, both by a 1-0 margin.
