WSU won two close matches in Oregon over the weekend, improving their record to 12-2-4 overall and 6-1-3 in conference action. 

WSU is ranked third in the Pac-12 behind UCLA and USC. With the losses, Oregon fell to 9-4-5 overall and 4-4-2 in conference play while Oregon State fell to 11-7-0 overall and 3-7-0 in conference play.  

The Cougars won 1-0 against Oregon. Action in the match against the Ducks started with Cougar control as junior midfielder MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellertson and fifth-year forward Elyse Bennett took the first shots. WSU continued to dominate in the first half of the match, outshooting Oregon 12-5.

However, neither team managed to score in the first half of the match. Play heated up at the end of the first period when senior Cougar defender Mykiaa Minniss received a yellow card. Sophomore Cougar forward Aniah Cutler took the final shot of the first period but it went wide.

The second period opened with shots by Bennett, Minniss and senior midfielder Sydney Studer. After that, the Ducks gained control of the ball until sophomore forward Margie Detrizio regained control of the ball. 

The Cougars continued to dominate shooting, with many different players trying to get a goal but none would be successful until two minutes before the end of the match. Bennett, assisted by fifth-year midfielder Sydney Pulver, scored the match-winning goal. It was Bennett’s 10th goal of the season. 

The last two minutes of the match were action-packed with both Bennett and head coach Todd Shulenberger receiving yellow cards. Oregon junior forward Ally Cook attempted the last goal of the night but was unable to tie the match for the Ducks. 

The Cougars earned their fourth-straight win against the Beavers and their first win in Corvallis since 2015 with a 3-2 victory. Oregon State became just the third team to net multiple goals against WSU this season.

The first goal of the night came just 12 minutes into the match when Oregon State freshman forward McKenna Martinez, assisted by freshman midfielder Sawyer Service and redshirt junior defender Helena Brown, scored for the Beavers. 

The Cougars fought back just four minutes later when Detrizio, assisted by Bennett, scored her second goal of the season and tied the match. A minute later, junior midfielder Grayson Lynch attempted a shot but it went wide.

After that, the Beavers regained control of the ball with Martinez attempting two shots. The second shot found the back of the net and gave the Beavers the lead in the match.  It was Martinez’s 12th goal of the season. 

The rest of the first period saw the Cougars dominating shots attempted but none resulted in goals. Martinez continued her attack against the Cougars, attempting a goal one minute into the second period but it was saved by freshman goalkeeper Nadia Cooper. 

The Cougars and the Beavers traded the ball back and forth in the second period. In the 60th minute, Detrizio received a yellow card. Shot after shot would evade the Cougars until the 88th minute when Pulver scored a penalty kick goal after Oregon State received a foul.

The goal tied the match and drove it into overtime. The Beavers attempted two shots in the beginning of overtime. In the 98th minute, Detrizio, assisted by Studer, scored her second goal of the season to win the match for the Cougars.

“Great job by Oregon State today,” Shulenberger said. “They fought. They were tough today. They were really good today, to be honest with you. But what we did show was a lot of character and a lot of heart to come back.”

The Cougars close out their regular season in Seattle with the Boeing Apple Cup Series contest against cross-state rival Washington. The match will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday in Seattle at the Husky Soccer Stadium. The match can be seen on the Pac-12 Network.