Cougars have productive weekend against Oregon schools

Soccer combines for four goals in two games, picks up win on Friday, tie on Sunday

Then-freshman+forward+Grayson+Lynch+attempts+to+score+against+the+University+of+Arizona+on+Oct.+10%2C+2019+at+the+Lower+Soccer+Field.

HSING-HAN CHEN | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Then-freshman forward Grayson Lynch attempts to score against the University of Arizona on Oct. 10, 2019 at the Lower Soccer Field.

NICK OLDHAM, Evergreen sports editor

The WSU soccer team walked away from the weekend without a loss after defeating Oregon State 3-2 on Friday and tying Oregon 1-1 on Sunday.

The Cougars (6-3-2, 2-2-2) were back on the Lower Soccer Field for the first time since the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The team was on a four-match road trip prior to this weekend before having four consecutive matches canceled due to COVID-19 protocol.

Oregon State (4-9-1, 2-7-0) kicked off the scoring early on Friday when redshirt junior forward McKenzie Weinert scored just two minutes into the match. The goal marked her second of the season.

WSU’s senior midfielder Makamae Gomera-Stevens tied the match up at the 14-minute mark with her fourth goal of the season. Her two in-conference goals lead the team, with the first coming against Washington on March 19.

The score was assisted by senior midfielder Sydney Pulver, who racked up her third assist of the year.

WSU was able to take the lead after senior forward Elyse Bennett scored her sixth goal of the season, assisted by sophomore forward MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson.

Bennett’s six goals and Frimpong-Ellertson’s four assists are both leading the team, as the pair has already connected for three scores this season.

OSU was able to tie the match at the 54-minute mark when sophomore midfielder Abby Schwartz scored her second goal this season. The goal was assisted by freshman midfielder Haley Richardson and senior midfielder Kaillen Fried.

Fried’s assist marked her seventh of the season, making her the sole Pac-12 leader in that statistical category.

WSU’s sophomore forward Grayson Lynch sealed the Cougars’ sixth win of the season when she scored at the 64-minute mark to give WSU a 3-2 lead. Lynch’s second goal in 2021 was assisted by Frimpong-Ellertson and senior defender Aaqila McLyn.

WSU outshot the Beavers 14-10, but both teams ended the match with four shots on goal.

Senior goalkeeper Marissa Zucchetto played the full 90 minutes, saving two goals while allowing the same amount. She now has 31 saves on the season and has allowed 12 goals.

The second match of the weekend doubleheader against Oregon (5-5-5, 3-4-3) resulted in a back-and-forth defensive bout. The contest turned out to be one of the evenest matches in WSU’s 2021 season.

WSU’s freshman forward Margie Detrizio got the Cougars on the board first with a goal at the 38-minute mark. Pulver and junior defender Mykiaa Minniss assisted on the score. 

After a quiet rest of the first half and the beginning of the second half, Oregon’s senior midfielder True Dydasco broke the Cougar lead on an assist by junior midfielder Zoe Hasenauer.

Neither team could hit the net throughout the rest of regulation time, as Zucchetto and Oregon’s freshman goalkeeper Leah Freeman each had two saves in the second half to keep the match tied.

WSU had four shots in the two overtimes for a chance at a go-ahead goal, but the Cougars couldn’t score, and the match ended in a tie. That was WSU’s second tie of the season, both of which have come in Pac-12 play.

Both WSU and the Ducks shot the ball 15 times, while the Cougars had five shots on goal compared to Oregon’s four.

The Cougars will now get set for their final match of the regular season when they take on Washington in the Apple Cup. The match is set for 6 p.m. Friday on the Lower Soccer Field and can be watched on the Pac-12 Network Washington.