PULLMAN, Wash. – Katie O'Kane logged her team-high eighth goal of the season and
Kasey Wardle snatched up seven saves as the University of Utah women's soccer team forged a 1-1 draw with the Washington State Cougars in Pac-12 Conference action on Sunday afternoon at Lower Soccer Field in Pullman, Wash.
Utah now possesses a record of 5-6-6 with a 1-4-3 conference mark, while the Cougars are 9-5-2 and 2-4-2 in the Pac-12.
"I am proud of the effort our team put out on the field today against a very tough Washington State squad," said head coach
Hideki Nakada. "Obviously it is disappointing not to win when you are ahead with less than 10 minutes to go, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of effort and I have to give credit to WSU for finding a way to score the way they did."
Both sides spent the first half searching for a gap in the other's back line that would allow for an early lead, but the defenses held firm. This occurred despite seven shots being taken in the first 15 minutes, including an effort from Aniah Cutler in the 15th minute that resulted in Wardle's first save of the afternoon. Wardle's best stop of the opening 45 minutes came in the 39th minute, when the keeper found herself one-on-one with Margie Detrizio, but Wardle was on the spot to make the denial.
Utah had its best chance in the fourth minute, when
Kelly Bullock sent in a shot from the right side of the box, but WSU's Nadia Cooper made the save. The Cougars took an 11-6 edge in shots into halftime, but the match remained scoreless.
The home team was responsible for the first two tries in half No. 2, but it was O'Kane who found the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Off a clearance by Wardle, the ball ended up at the feet of Bullock, who sent
Kennedy Schoennauer on a run down the left side of the attacking zone. Schoennauer passed to O'Kane inside the box and the senior outmaneuvered two Cougars and put a shot past Cooper for the game's first goal.
Several more excellent stops by Wardle kept Utah's lead intact until the 82nd minute, when a Cougar cross was headed in by Reagan Kotschau to knot the score. Both teams attempted to find a winner over the final eight minutes, but the squads were still level when the final whistle sounded.
"Washington State is an extremely physical team," said Nakada, "but I felt we withstood and dealt with it well and were able to play our brand of soccer on the ball, which allowed us to create quality chances. We just had to be a little cleaner and decisive in the end to put another one away."
Up Next
Utah's next chance will come on their home field, as they are scheduled to entertain the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday at 6 p.m.
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