In Case You Missed It
PULLMAN, Wash. – On a frigid Halloween night on the Palouse, Washington State's (11-5-1, 4-4-1) offense caught fire as the Cougars pounded the visiting Utah Utes (6-8-4, 1-5-3), 4-1, at Lower Soccer Field. The attack was led by star forward
Morgan Weaver who found her magic touch once again as the senior notched a pair of goals and an assist on the night. Weaver broke a dry spell in front of net in the 6' of action when she pounced on a mistake clearance just outside of the six to literally get the ball rolling. With one on the board, the Cougs ramped up the pressure, doubling their lead in the 35' on a tap-in finish by freshman
Grayson Lynch. The first-year Coug broke through for her first collegiate goal thanks to a perfectly timed secondary run that was rewarded by a pin-point pass from
Makamae Gomera-Stevens, The junior found her young teammate on the goal mouth after working a little magic of her own down the right ride of the box, beating two defenders before hitting the low cross. While a mistake led to a Utah goal in the 61' by Ireland Dunn, the Cougs punched right back needing just one minute to respond with their third tally of the night. Starting from their own 18, the Cougs were able to use just two passes and the speed of
Elyse Bennett to get behind the Utah defense. Turning on the after burners, Bennett ran down a through ball from Weaver with nothing but the keeper and the goal in front of her. Calm and collected just outside the 18, Bennett settled the ball and sent a shot to the upper corner just before the Utes' defenders could close down the run. The night would not end there for WSU as the Cougs witnessed another vintage goal by Weaver just four minutes later to put the game away for good. Taking a quick pass just inside the center line, Weaver knifed her way through the heart of the Utah defense, bobbing and weaving her way into the danger area before drilling a shot across body and across goal for the Cougs' fourth notch on the scoreboard. With the game in hand, the Cougs went to their bench to finish off the night, taking home a hard-fought, and well-deserved three points in the Pac-12 standings.
Coach Shulenberger quote of the match
"This team does a good job, we've faced adversity a lot, over the years when it has to count, and tonight it had to count for post season reasons. We stepped up and did a good job. They were calm, cool and collected. Morgan got back on track. She got two goals and Grayson got her first one as well so I was proud of the girls tonight."
The Moments That Made The Match
Things You Need To Know
- Washington State nearly doubled its scoring output in Pac-12 play with four goals against the Utes after entering the night's contest with just five goals in the first eight games of conference play.Â
- Morgan Weaver notched her second multi-goal performance of the season and seventh of her career. She moved into sole possession of third-place all-time in scoring at WSUÂ with her 34th and 35th goals.
- Weaver added an assist to her two goals, her first game of the year with a goal and an assist and the first since a one goal, two assist game on Oct. 25, 2018 against Cal.
- Grayson Lynch became the 11th different Cougar to score on the year and the eighth to knock home a game-winner.
- Elyse Bennett moved into second place in points for WSU with her fifth goal on the year. While not credited with an official assist, Bennett's cross setup the early goal by Weaver to begin the contest.
- Brianna Alger picked up her eighth assist on the year, tying for the third most in single season history.
- Ella Dederick earned her 48th career win in 77 minutes of action. Rachel Johnson finished off the game in net for the Cougs making one save in 13 minutes.
- The Cougars close out their home schedule Sunday, Nov. 3 against Colorado at noon. The game will feature a senior tribute prior to kickoff for WSU's six seniors.
