The No. 18 Washington State Cougars are in for a dog fight today at the Lower Soccer Field as they take on the No. 1 team in the land, UCLA.

The Bruins (15-0-2, 7-0-1) fly into Pullman with their undefeated record intact and as favorites to win the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.

The Cougars are hoping to change all that today. If the Cougars want to come away from the match with a result, their stout defense will have to slow down a Bruins squad that has a knack for finding the back of the net. UCLA leads nine of the 11 major statistical categories in the Pac-12.

“We cannot listen to the noise or the rankings,” Head Coach Steve Nugent said about the upcoming match against UCLA. “The toughest challenge any team had faced all year is UCLA. They have been ranked number one since the start of the season. They are the defending national champion and they have proved that every time they have gone out to play this year. I will say that I like the way we set up against UCLA.”

This game will test if WSU can run with the elite in the NCAA. WSU and UCLA are deadlocked in most defensive statistical categories. Both teams are tied for the least shots allowed and shutouts, which gives the match the potential to be an all-out defensive slugfest.

Senior midfielder Nicole Setterlund said the Cougs will look to retain possession for as long as possible and keep the ball out of their defensive third.

“UCLA is a very good team, but we are also a very good team,” Setterlund said. “You cannot let UCLA’s midfield turn on the ball and you have to tackle them when you have chances. To score on UCLA you have to move the ball quickly and keep possession. I think we will be able to score goals, hopefully one or two early in the game.”

Setterlund said she looks forward to the challenge that UCLA provides.

“I absolutely see this game as one of the biggest games in my career,” Setterlund said. “Anytime you play a high caliber team is big. But that is what makes this all exciting.”

The Cougars will look to senior Jocelyn Jeffers to provide scoring threats throughout the game.

“I do not think that UCLA will be expecting us to come out with the fire that we all have under our belts right now,” Jeffers continued. “I think they will be overlooking this game. It is going to be a crazy weekend because the number one team in the nation will be in town. It is our chance to prove we are a top contending team, just like UCLA.”

The Cougars don’t get much of a break on Sunday when they host the USC Trojans (10-5-2, 4-4-0).

“We turn to our leaders,” Nugent said when asked how to handle the emotional swing between games. “We go into every game as a one and done situation. We keep that NCAA tournament mentality.”

The match against UCLA will kick off at 2 p.m. and will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. The Cougs take on USC at 1 p.m. on Sunday with a live webstream available on wsucougars.com.