No. 13 Women's Soccer Falls at Washington State in Close Match

Article, Photo Courtesy of Santa Clara

PULLMAN, Wash. – In the first road game of the year, No. 13 Santa Clara women's soccer was undone by a late first half goal in a 1-0 loss to Washington State on Thursday night. The Broncos had their chances, especially late, but the Cougar defense stood tall and didn't allow the equalizer.

The Broncos (2-1) were on the attack much of the second half but were just a step away from putting together any runs for a goal. When it looked like they were going to create a dangerous chance, the Washington State (1-1) defense flexed its muscles and got the ball away from danger.

The Cougar goalkeeper Ella Dederick picked up three saves on the day but made a number of plays to stop potential chances by Santa Clara.

"We played a tough opponent today that knows how to win 1-0 games," Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith said. "They commit to defending and didn't give us any easy looks. You have to credit them for being aggressive and compact on defense in the second half."

The lone goal of the match came in the 39th minute off the head of Alysha Overland. Kaitlyn Johnson took the first shot of the play but hit the crossbar in a stroke of fortune for the Broncos. Overland was standing in position for a rebound but her header also went off the crossbar before she finally headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

"Their goal was a very determined effort," Smith said. "They didn't convert right away but got off three shots in five seconds. Their determination in front of goal got them their goal and we struggled to put one in the back of the net."

Santa Clara's best chance to tie the game came in the 84th minute off the foot of Jordan Jesolva. After her first shot was blocked, Jesolva regained control and turned to fire a shot that went straight at Dederick.

"I thought the game was fairly even today," Smith said. "The difference turned out to be that we lacked the same toughness in front of goal. We had plenty of chances but didn't have the quality that we were looking for."

The Broncos are back on the pitch Sunday at 3 p.m. at Washington. The game can be seen on the Pac 12 Network.