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Cougs take the draw with No. 5 USC

by wsucougars.com
Oct 21, 2021

In Case You Missed It
PULLMAN, Wash. – Taking it to one of the top teams in the country, Washington State (10-2-3, 4-1-2) was forced to settle for a scoreless draw with No. 5 USC (11-2-1, 6-0-1) Thursday night at Lower Soccer Field. Despite a 24-to-19 shot advantage, including 6-to-1 in overtime, the Cougs could just not find the breakthrough needed to secure the upset win over the Trojans as both team's defenses held up against a bevy of attacking chances from the high-powered offenses running at them throughout the night. While it was the Trojans' who came in the superior team on paper it was the Cougs who controlled the majority of the match while putting a scare into USC on more than one occasion. Out of the gate the Cougs' had one of their best chances of the night when sophomore Margie Detrizio broke loose behind the Trojan backline only to be denied by a diving save from Anna Smith. The save from Smith was a precursor of what was to come all night against the Cougs as the senior keeper finished the match with 11 total saves to keep USC atop the Pac-12 table. Smith's ability to be in the right place at the right time kept the Cougs out of the score column in the face of a barrage from WSU, especially off of set pieces and corners of which the Cougs had 11 of in the match. Two of those corners came in the final seconds of the second overtime as the Cougs put their head on a pair of brilliant services from Sydney Pulver, only to be denied the golden goal.
While the Cougs' offense had its chances to score throughout the 110 minutes of action the Trojans were not without a handful of opportunities themselves up until overtime when WSU took complete control of the contest. While the Trojans, led by Penelope Hocking, broke free on a few occasions, the Cougs' defense was up to the task, shutting down the nation's seventh ranked offense to hold USC without a goal for just the second time on the year. In all it was a total team effort defensively as freshman Nadia Cooper was credited with five saves on the night while getting help from her teammate, freshman Reese Tappan, to clear away another potential strike after scrambling to fight off the initial Trojan attack.

Stat of the Match
The Cougs became the first Pac-12 team to hold the Trojans without a goal as freshman Nadia Cooper recorded five saves to earn the shutout and the point WSU.

The Moments That Made The Match

Things You Need To Know

  • The Cougs settled for their second-consecutive draw in Pac-12 play and third of the season.
    • The draw was the Cougs' first result against a top-25 opponent since finishing with a scoreless draw against #23 Washington to close out the 2021 spring season.
  • WSU's draw with USC snapped a seven-match skid against the Trojans marking the Cougs' first result in the series since 2013.
    • The 2OT game was the fifth in the all-time series between the two teams the and fourth-straight scoreless draw in those contests.
    • The draw snapped the Trojans' program record 11-match winning streak dating back to Aug. 28 against Utah Valley.
  • The shutout was the Cougs' 11th of the season, tying for 2nd all-time in program history (the record of 15 was set in 2013).
  • Freshman Nadia Cooper moved to 6-1-2 on the year in goal while recording her sixth solo shutout. Her 3 goals against ranks second in the nation.
  • The Coug offense was held without a goal for just the second time on the year despite outshooting the Trojans 24-to-19 on the night.
    • WSU's 11 shots on goal was a season-high in Pac-12 play for the Cougs.
  • The Cougs close out their home slate of games Sunday, Oct. 24 against #8 UCLA. The match on the Pac-12 Network is scheduled for 5 p.m. Prior to the match the Cougs will honor eight seniors in a senior day ceremony.

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