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Washington State Soccer Recap: Cougars Hold Ground With 1-1 Tie Against Portland

Before last week's game the Cougars and Pilots were tied for fourth in the West Coast Conference. After last week's game the Cougars and Pilots are tied for fourth in the West Coast Conference.

John Severs

Jan 13, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot looks on before a game against the Arizona Wildcats at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot looks on before a game against the Arizona Wildcats at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

Washington State soccer stayed the course last week. Heading into their game against Portland last Saturday the Pilots and Cougars were tied in the West Coast Conference standings, and a 1-1 tie between the two teams insured things would stay that way.

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Portland struck first, picking up a goal in the 34th minute thanks to Jillian McBride. For the Cougars, scoring came slowly. WSU only managed one shot in the first half, on a penalty kick from Reagan Kotschau. They wouldn't find their footing offensively until the second half.

The Cougars came out with much more aggression in the second half, with Alena Watts and Grayson Lynch taking early shots. Washington State kept the attack up, but it took until the 85th minute to finally break through. Grayson Lynch launched a ball deep from near midfield, and Kendall Campbell picked up, and launched a shot near the goal line that was just about unblockable to tie the game.

The Cougars managed a couple more shots before the end of the game, but couldn't take the lead. a tie would have to do. That leaves them tied for fourth in the WCC, alongside Portland, and behind Oregon State, Santa Clara and Pepperdine.

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This weekend the Cougars will travel to Spokane to take on their new in-state conference rivals, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Zags are 1-2-1 in the WCC, and 5-6-2 overall, so this could be a good chance for the Cougars to pick up some wins as the West Coast Conference season winds down.

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John Severs
JOHN SEVERS

Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for Sports Illustrated, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.

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