The Cougs (8-5-6) beat the Pacific Tigers 5-0 Saturday in a commanding win on senior night for their final match of the season. Two seniors scored in a night meant to commemorate them and WSU secured an unbeaten home record for the season.
After winning in back-to-back matches, WSU came into the match with a chance to get to the top of the WCC standings. Pacific, a team that has struggled to get positive results this season, simply looked to finish the season strong after not earning a single point in the conference standings.
The Cougs started strong once again, continuing a recent trend of early scoring success. Less than one minute into the game, defender Jenna Studer sent a soaring lob pass ahead of forward Raniyah Burton who caught up to the ball in the left corner of the box and delivered a high-arcing shot toward the opposite post and into the back of the net. Burton had a tough angle from the lower corner but put enough height on the ball to get it past Pacific goalkeeper Sierra Schwarz. Burton scored her first goal since the first match of the season against Montana and marked the first of two senior connections in the match.
It did not take long for the WSU offense to see action again, as forward Grayson Lynch managed to beat multiple defenders a few yards outside the box and sent a through ball to a sprinting midfielder in Megan Santa Cruz. Off the soft touch from Lynch, Santa Cruz took one touch of her own and quickly fired off a shot past Schwarz to put the Cougs up 2-0 in the 15th minute. Lynch’s assist would be one of the many highlights of an impressive performance to cap off a storied career. It also wouldn’t be the only time Lynch would find Santa Cruz in the game.
The remainder of the first half would be more tightly contested, with both teams pushing their attacks. The Tigers would get to five shots in the half including two from forward Alexis Pashales, but the Cougs would still outpace them with 12 shots in the half. WSU nearly scored again on multiple occasions in the first half, including forcing Schwarz to make five saves and midfielder Reagan Kotschau missing a high shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar.
WSU then opened the second half with the same energy it had at the start of the first, this time hammering home two goals within 40 seconds of each other. After Burton nearly scored again after missing on a well-timed shot that bounced off the left woodwork, Lynch found Santa Cruz in the 51st minute for their second connection. Lynch headed the ball out of the air on the first touch from a soaring goal kick from Schwarz which landed perfectly in front of Santa Cruz. The sophomore ran behind the defense for a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper and fired a shot around a pressuring Schwarz for her third goal of the year.
Lynch then struck again, dribbling from midfield and cruising past the Pacific defenders untouched to the penalty spot, where she sent a left-footed shot to the right side of the goal for the last score of her collegiate career.
“It was such a surreal moment to run over to the bench with all my teammates,” Lynch said. “I wasn’t ready for it but they were all cheering me to go over there and so that was really special.”
The Cougs were not settled yet as WSU got a goal from its third different senior of the night. Lynch and Santa Cruz were involved in the offensive attack again, this time assisting on a simple tap into the net by midfielder Lindsey Turner. Santa Cruz found an open Lynch down the right line who then sent a cross to a trailing Turner who scored her fourth goal of the season in her final match.
Both teams made goalkeeping substitutions in the second half. WSU goalkeeper Nadia Cooper was replaced at halftime by redshirt freshman Liya Brooks after suffering an apparent concussion according to head coach Todd Shulenberger. Pacific went in a different direction after Schwarz gave up her fourth goal, turning to redshirt freshman Hannah McFarlane.
The WSU offense quieted down for the rest of the match as the team focused on getting the senior core some final minutes before being given an official send-off after the match. Pacific struggled again to get any significant offensive momentum going, managing just one shot in the second half. The Tigers were outshot 6-23 at the match’s end.
The Cougs sent off their seniors in dramatic fashion with a 5-0 victory to end the year. An up-and-down season concluded with a three-game win streak and some history made by several graduating players.
Lynch, who had one goal and three assists in her best performance of the season, finished one match shy of tying the school’s record for matches played but was able to finish 10th in program history for career shots. In the net, Cooper finished her career at a tie for third in career shutouts for the Cougs and in sole position at sixth for career saves.
Lynch, who played six years at WSU due to a redshirt injury season and an extra year of Covid eligibility, said she’s developed close relationships while at WSU and credited her teammates with her final game success.
“Oh gosh, I’m kind of speechless right now, kind of trying to take it all in,” Lynch said. “The performance was definitely special. I’m glad Todd [Shulenberger] put me back in at least the last part just to kind of get those last minutes on Lower Soccer Field. It’s been a long six years, a lot of different things happening and stuff in those six years, but I’m so happy to finish out my college career here and I’m happy with the girls that I got to do it with tonight.”
WSU head coach Todd Shulenberger also praised the seniors’ efforts and highlighted Lynch’s performance and her career dating back to the 2019 College Cup run.
“She’s meant a lot,” Shulenberger said. “We always make fun of her that she’s the old lady here with us, with myself actually. She was playing with the final four team and you know she had a couple of assists tonight, I believe a goal as well. And I mean just coming back from injury last year and giving everything to this program, and to give her a shot for maybe something after soccer here, I mean at the next level. So yeah, it was great to see her come back and finish.”
Santa Cruz was the non-senior highlight of the night, scoring two goals on five shots and getting her fifth assist of the season.
Pashales led the way for the Tigers, with three total shots and one on goal.
WSU concluded its 2024 season with a fourth-place finish in the WCC standings. The Cougs honored ten seniors for senior night celebrations on Saturday.
