In Case You Missed It
HONOLULU – Pressing forward for 90 minutes, the #24 ranked Washington State soccer team (7-1-0) did what the rest of the Pac-12 had been unable to do as the Cougars' defeated Pepperdine (3-4-2), 2-1, Sunday in Honolulu to close out the Rainbow Wahine Shootout. Fighting heat and humidity and playing arguably one of the hottest teams in the country, the Cougars did what they have done all year, pressing the attack from the opening kickoff until the final horn to overwhelm their competition. Despite being held off the scoreboard in the opening half due to good goalkeeping and a little bad luck the Cougs would not let their misfortunes bring them down as they ramped up the pressure right out of the lockerroom in the second half. The pressure would pay off just 10 minutes into the final 45' when junior Elyse Bennett broke free behind the Waves' defense to put WSU ahead by one. Bennett got her room to run thanks in part to the play of junior Makamae Gomera-Stevens as the native Hawaiian broke down the defensive midfield before sending a ball up field to Bennett.  Ten minutes after breaking the scoreless tie the Cougs would find themselves back to square-one when the Waves found the back of the net on an endline cross to Joelle Anderson. The goal was the first of the season for the Wave midfielder and the first scored against the Cougars on the weekend.
With the game knotted at one the Cougs continued to push forward in numbers, forcing the Waves on to their heels and into a mistake that set up the would be game-winning score. With a ball loose in the box the Cougs tapped the ball out to their top passer, junior Brianna Alger, who sent the ball back across frame to sophomore forward Molly Myers. With the ball heading her way, Myers was able to chest down the pass and one-time it into the back of the net to put WSU back out in front in the 78'. For the final 12 minutes, the Cougars' used a combination of their offensive attack and a stifling defense to shutdown the Waves and any thought of a late-game rally for Pepperdine.
With the victory, the Cougars' claimed the Rainbow Wahine Shootout title with a perfect 2-0 mark in Honolulu. WSU downed Hawai'i Thursday night to set the tone while Pepperdine and UCLA played to a 2-2 draw.

Coach Shulenberger on the Match
"I'm very proud of our team. What a great result tonight at a neutral site against a very good Pepperdine team. Battled conditions with a good team in the heat and we overcame a lot. I'm excited about where we are at and I'm really excited to get into conference play starting next week. We'll take this victory, learn from it, flush ut out, and move on to the next. We're excited that Oregon State is our first Pac-12 game."

Things You Need To Know

• The Cougars finished the non-conference slate of games 7-1-0 with the win over Pepperdine. The win improved WSU's record against the Waves to 3-2-1 overall and 2-0-1 in contests in Hawaii.
• The one-goal game was the Cougs fifth-straight, winning four of the five.
• The win over Pepperdine was the first for the Pac-12 after the Waves upset #1 Stanford (1-0) and drew with #5 UCLA (2-2) in the last week.
• The goal given up by the Cougs was their first conceded goal on the road in 2019. Overall, WSU finished non-conference play outscoring its opponents 8-1 away from Lower Soccer Field.
• The win in goal for super-senior Ella Dederick marked her 44th career victory moving her into a tie with Gurveen Clair (2011-14) for the program's all-time record.
• The scoreless first half was just the third-time on the year the Cougs were held without a goal in the opening 45', while the 78' goal by Molly Myers was the second latest game-winner for WSU on the year.
• Molly Myers became the 10th Cougar to score on the year and sixth player with a game-winner in seven victories.
• Elyse Bennet scored her third goal on the year while picking up her 10th point to move into second overall on the team.
• Junior Brianna Alger nabbed her team-best sixth assist on the year to move into a tie for the conference lead. The assist was the first of the year for Alger in the run of play after her first five came on set pieces.
• WSU outshot its opponent for the eighth time on the season while putting eight on frame.
• The Cougs begin Pac-12 play Saturday, Sept. 29 at home against undefeated Oregon State. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff on the Pac-12 Networks.