The Roundup: WSU soccer picks up much-needed victory

The women’s soccer team claimed its first victory over a Pac-12 opponent with a 2-1 overtime victory over Arizona State on Sunday, and earned a split of the Arizona schools over the weekend.

The win came at a much needed time and hopefully proves to be a turning point in the season. The Cougs had failed to notch a conference victory in four tries going into Sunday. Keep in mind: they are just a season removed from when they finished third in the Pac-12. However, with some late game magic against the Sun Devils, the Cougars were able to get back on their feet.

Even though WSU dominated the box score (14-2 advantage in shots on goal, 14-6 on corner kicks), they found themselves trailing with 10 minutes left on the clock. Not to worry, as the constant peppering of the Arizona State goal finally began to pay off. In the 83rd minute, freshman Katie Jones found the back of the net.

WSU’s Kaitlyn Johnson shot the ball from inside the box but it deflected off an ASU defender before their keeper was able to make the save. She was unable to hold onto the ball though, and Jones was there to even the game at one goal apiece.

In overtime, it didn’t take the Cougs long to add a second goal to win the game. Stud freshman striker Morgan Weaver ended the game six minutes into overtime with her eighth goal of the season on her eighth shot attempt of the night. With the win, WSU is now 6-6-1 overall and 1-4 in conference play. This upcoming weekend they’ll have a chance to fight their way up the standings against Utah.

The Utes have a winning record against Pac-12 schools and won’t be easy to beat. However, after digging themselves an early hole, WSU doesn’t have time to continue losing if they wish to make it to the NCAA tournament again this season. The Cougs play at Utah on Friday at 6 p.m. and you can watch at http://pac-12.com/live/university-utah.

The volleyball team also earned a split over the weekend, defeating Oregon State before falling to Oregon 25-21, 25-10, and 25-14. The loss was WSU’s first against a Pac-12 opponent, and to a team that they are now tied with in the standings. The Ducks and the Cougs sit atop the Pac-12 with records of 5-1.

The Cougs only dropped three spots in the AVCA coaches poll this week to No. 13. They are still ranked below UW and Stanford (who also lost a match, to Utah), two teams they beat earlier this year. In Sunday’s loss, Kyra Holt continued to move her way up the WSU record books.

With nine kills against the Ducks, Holt moved into third place on WSU’s all-time list past Meagan Ganzer, with 1,535 for her career. She is only 12 kills short of having the second most in school history, a spot currently occupied by Carrie Couturier. She’ll look to put herself in even more elite company during this weekend’s slate of games.

The Cougs host No. 21 Utah, and a Colorado team that is just 28 votes shy of being included in the top 25. The Cougars and Buffs will start their match at 7 p.m. Friday, and you can watch at http://pac-12.com/live/washington-state-university. WSU will close out the weekend against Utah, Sunday at noon on the Pac-12 networks. Both games will be played in Bohler Gym.

The men’s golf team played in the Paintbrush Invitational Monday and Tuesday, and finished in eighth place. WSU’s top two finishers, Nick Mandell and A.J. Armstrong, finished 23rd and 25th overall. The women’s golf team was also in action, finishing fourth in the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational. Madison Odiorne and Alivia Brown both finished in the top 10 in the Tacoma tournament.

The rowing team raced in Canada on Saturday, at the Burnaby Invitational. WSU raced eight pairs in the initial 4,000-meter race that determined who advanced to the 250-meter spring later in the day. Nicole Hare and Ivy Elling Quaintance finished second in the 4000 meter competition, and were WSU’s fastest pair. However, the Hare (and Quaintance) were better suited for the sprint and took first in the event.