A season-high nine saves from WSU redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ella Dederick could not offset the resurfacing of the Cougars offensive woes in a 3-0 loss at No. 5 USC Thursday afternoon.

 

Dederick saved a shot on goal from the Trojans redshirt junior forward Alex Anthony’s in the 23rd minute but the ball rebounded into play and junior midfielder Nicole Molen easily found the net from short range to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead that held for the remainder of the match.

 

WSU senior forward Kaitlyn Johnson had a pair of scoring opportunities in the 39th minute  for the Cougars but both shots from outside the goalie box were blocked by USC defenders.

 

Late in the first half, WSU freshman forward Katie Jones looked to have beaten the Trojans goalkeeper off a pass from senior forward Amy Neal but a one-touch shot off her left foot sailed just over the top crossbar.

 

USC again scored early in the second half to increase its lead to 2-0 and pushed across its third goal of the match in the 83rd minute to seal the final margin of victory.

 

The Cougars had 15 shots  in the match but none found the net. USC took 23 shots on the day and moves to 5-1 in Pac-12 play and 12-3 overall. WSU falls to 1-6 in conference action and 6-8-1 on the season.

WSU takes on No. 9 UCLa at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Pasadena.

Reporting by Braden Johnson