BOULDER, Colo. – For the second-consecutive match, the Washington State soccer team earned a shutout, defeating the Colorado Buffaloes, 3-0, in Pac-12 competition Sunday. The No. 21 Cougars (11-2-0, 4-1-0) scored two goals in the first half and added a third in the second period to beat the Buffs (7-5-2, 1-3-1) and earn their third-straight win.

WSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute with the game-winning goal by junior Kaitlyn Johnson. The Torrance, Calif., native received a long ball over the top of the CU defense from redshirt-senior Beau Bremer. Johnson let the ball bounce before chipping it over the Colorado keeper that was coming out to smother the ball. Johnson is the first Cougar to score in three-consecutive matches since Micaela Castain completed the feat in 2013.

“We knew coming in that this was going to be a tough weekend,” WSU Head Coach Todd Shulenberger said of the last two matches. “I had this on the schedule as a make-or-break weekend as far as what we were capable of this year. Two games, back-to-back on the road, against two quality teams – we did a great job. I thought last weekend against UCLA was good. I think we were even better today.”

The Cougars added a second goal just 123 seconds after the first. Sophomore Sofia Anker-Kofoed found space in the midfield in the 17th minute and played a ball to senior Kourtney Guetlein. The senior ran down the loose ball and smashed it into the lower left corner past the outstretched Colorado keeper. The goal was Guetlein's sixth of the year, matching Johnson as the team's leading goal scorer.

With a 2-0 halftime lead, WSU picked up its 32nd-consecutive win when leading at halftime. The streak is a school record that dates back to Oct. 29, 2010 at USC.

Coming out of the break, WSU fended off an aggressive Buffalo attack. Redshirt-freshman Ella Dederick made a career-high 11 saves in the match, including eight in the second half.

Freshman Tia Gavin solidified the Cougar victory in the 71st minute. The Australian native found herself open to the left side of the penalty spot after receiving a pass from sophomore Chelsea Harkins. Gavin took one touch before striking the ball up and over the keeper before the ball dipped under the crossbar. The goal was Gavin's second-career goal and gave the Cougars a 3-0 win.

The Cougars were outshot by the Buffaloes, 20-9, in the match, improving to 5-1 with fewer shots than their opponent. WSU committed 13 fouls to CU's nine, but failed to earn a corner kick, while the Buffs earned three. Kaitlyn Johnson earned a caution in the 85th minute for physical play in the attacking third.

Washington State returns to Pullman, Wash., to host Arizona Friday, Oct. 16, at Lower Soccer Field. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. and stream live at wsucougars.com

COUGAR NOTES

The Cougars scored three goals for the fifth time this season…the last time WSU scored three goals in at least five matches was in 2013 when the team won six games with three or more goals…junior Kaitlyn Johnson scored for the third-straight match, picking up her sixth goal of the year, seventh-career game-winning goal, and 10th-overall career goal…Johnson becomes the first Cougar to score in three-consecutive matches since Micaela Castain scored in three matches from Aug. 23-Sept. 1 in 2013…senior Kourtney Guetlein notched her sixth goal of the year and 12th of her career…freshman Tia Gavin scored her second-career goal…WSU improved to 102-88-22 all-time in the month of October…the Cougars extended their school-record streak to 32 matches when leading at halftime…WSU has not lost when leading at halftime since Oct. 29, 2010.