Cross
country travels to Madison for Nuttycombe Invitational
Cougars
head to Wisconsin to participate in one of nation’s premiere collegiate meets
The WSU
men’s cross country team competes in its first race of the season with WSU
alumni on Aug. 31 at the Colfax Golf Club.
By KATIE
ARCHER, Evergreen
Sept 27th,
2018
For its
first road meet of the season, WSU cross country will be competing in the
Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday in Madison, Wisconsin.
The No. 13
nationally-ranked men’s team and No. 9 West Region women’s team will be facing
competition from all over the country.
The races
will happen on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. This is the
same course the Cougars will see for the Pre-National meet Oct. 13. The NCAA
Championships later this year will be on this course as well.
For the
Cougars, this is very similar to the course they saw last year in Madison.
Having
previous experience of the course has helped the coaches prepare, individualize
and fine-tune the race plan, said Wayne Phipps, director of cross country/track
and field.
Minor
adjustments were made in preparation for nationals, but 98 percent of the
course is the same as it was in the past, he said.
“For us,
it makes a huge difference and I think every time we’re on there, we’re going
to become a better team for that course,” Phipps said.
This year
the women’s team will be competing in the invitational section. Phipps said it
was a great accomplishment for the women’s team to be at that level.
Last year
the women’s team competed in the non-invitational section, and Vallery Korir,
then a junior, won that section.
Junior
Kaili Keefe said the team has been talking a lot about the course throughout
the season and preparing for its challenges. Keefe is a transfer from Eastern
Washington University, and it will be her first time seeing the course.
One of the
challenges of the course are the hills. Keefe said the team has been doing a
lot of long runs with hills to prepare for the race.
Senior
Chandler Teigen said it’s shocking to run on the hills at that pace and competing
against the fastest teams in the nation is what makes the race tougher. He said
it is hard to make up ground at late in the race.
Preparing
for this race, senior Nathan Wadhwani said it really comes down to training.
“Making
sure we are doing the right things every day and giving people the confidence
that we’ve been there before [is important],” Wadhwani said.
In the
Cougar Classic, Phipps held out the top three women and top eight men from the
race. Wadhwani and Teigen were both held out of the Cougar Classic on Sept. 14.
Not
running in the Cougar Classic provided a solid month of uninterrupted training,
Teigen said. Sometimes races can hinder training a little bit because of the
preparation before the race and recovery afterward.
Wadhwani
and Teigen are looking to finish in the top 15 at the invitational.
“So I
think coming out of this we should be pretty confident in just being ready when
it matters at nationals,” Wadhwani said.
The
Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational B races start 11 a.m. Friday in Madison with
championship races beginning at 12:20 p.m.
……………………
Volleyball
returns to Bohler Gym for first time in Pac-12 play
Cougars
host Utah after dropping last two matches on road
By TY
EKLUND, Evergreen
27 Septembre
2018
For the
first time in conference play, No. 22 WSU volleyball (9-3) will be at Bohler
Gym to host No. 25 University of Utah (8-5).
On the
visiting side of the court this week is Utah. The Utes also enter the match
having lost their first two Pac-12 conference meetups to the University of
Colorado and No. 17 University of California, Los Angeles.
The Utes
roster consists of 14 athletes, two of whom are seniors, and Utah Head Coach
Bethany Launiere is currently in her 29th season for Utah, accumulating a
career total of just over 540 wins. On the Cougar bench there’s a total of 15
players, six of them experienced seniors. Head Coach Jen Greeny is entering her
eighth year, and right now has just over 117 wins.
When asked
what the mentality was for this at-home Pac-12 matchup against Utah, junior
outside hitter Taylor Mims said it isn’t any different.
“Our
mentality is the same, we treat every team the same, we just always be
aggressive and our mentality is the same every time in any given situation
we’re in,” Mims said. “Whether it’s in practice, we’re lifting, doing anything,
maybe even eating, we’re always a fiery group and I love it.”
Mims also
said she was excited to play at home for the first time, especially against two
ranked teams.
Despite a
successful start in the non-conference portion of the season, the Cougars have
recently been on a three-game losing streak. Their first loss was on Sept. 15
at the end of the non-conference season to unranked East Tennessee State
University in five sets.
Following
that match was the Cougs’ back-to-back Pac-12 conference game appearances,
where they first went against the No. 13 University of Washington Huskies on
Sept. 20 and No. 12 University of Oregon three days later. Both of these
matches ended in close fifth-set losses for the Cougs and it showed what they
needed to keep up with the highest ranking teams in the Pac-12.
“It’s a
lot of positivity knowing that we can compete with anyone and we could’ve won
every single game,” sophomore setter Ashley Brown said. “So it’s more just
cleaning up little errors, being really disciplined so we can actually pull
those ones out and finish them strong.”
So far
this season the Huskies are 10-2 and the Ducks are 9-3, with one of their big
wins being against No. 1 University of Minnesota. But despite the early Pac-12
losses, Greeny said she was proud of her team.
“In
Washington I was proud of our fight … we dug ourselves a pretty deep hole and
definitely fought back … then again, just couldn’t get the win Thursday night,”
Greeny said. “Then Sunday we were up in Oregon against a very high quality team
… I’m just proud of the way we fought again there … we were right with them on
the road.”
With the
Utes visiting for the Cougs’ first home game of the conference season, both
teams look forward to a first win of their respective Pac-12 seasons. The game
starts at 7 p.m. Friday in Bohler Gym. The game can also be seen live on Pac-12
Networks.
………….
WSU, Utah
coach friends off field
When Leach
thinks of Whittingham, it's not just Kyle that comes to mind
By Dale
Grummert, Lewsiston Trib
Mike Leach
of Washington State and Kyle Whittingham of Utah, whose friendly coaching
rivalry will be resumed this week, attended Brigham Young together four decades
ago. But they didn't know each other then, and Leach jokingly says he tried to
avoid the other.
He assumed
Whittingham was a chip off the old block.
His late father,
Fred "Mad Dog" Whittingham, who was defensive coordinator at BYU at
the time, had endured a troubled upbringing in the Northeast and formed a
reputation as a brawler as a young man. People say he mellowed after he
traveled west, played for BYU and met the woman who would become his wife,
Nancy.
But his
manner still carried traces of his early years.
"One
of the most steely, intimidating guys on Earth," Leach said this week.
"I mean, you'd walk on campus and Lavell Edwards (BYU's head coach at the time)
would say hi to everybody. And Fred - Fred just scared you. He was imposing,
and from what I hear was one of the toughest guys on Earth. And then there's
Kyle - by association you'd try to stay away from him too."
That's no
longer the case. But Leach and Whittingham, for the fifth time since Leach took
the helm at WSU in 2012, will put aside their friendship for a few hours when
Washington State (3-1, 0-1) plays its first Pac-12 home game of the season
Saturday (3 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) against Whittingham's Utes (2-1, 0-1) at
Martin Stadium. Leach leads the series 3-1, but a Utah team featuring a
tenacious defense is favored by 1½ points this year.
Leach and
Kyle Whittingham, like the latter's father, met their future wives while
attending BYU, in their case in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Memories of
that time formed the basis of the friendship that's developed in recent years.
"We
got to know each other pretty fast, because our wives have a lot in
common," Leach said. "Even though we didn't know each other there -
there's 28,000 students (actually, more than 30,000 at present) - we knew all
of the places, all the locations, and had very similar experiences."
One reason
they'd never met at BYU is that Leach, rare among men who'd go on to become head
coaches, didn't play college football, whereas Whittingham had been born to the
breed.
"Kyle
was busy being an All-American linebacker and leading the nation in
tackles," Leach said, "while I was trying to make sure I did well
enough on my courses to go to law school. So it was kind of a little bit
different world."
Leach
slightly overstates his friend's stature as a player. But Whittingham did make
first-team All-Western Athletic Conference and played professionally a few
years.
As a
coach, he still exudes the take-charge air of an ex-linebacker, with none of
the rough edges his father evidently displayed. But Fred Whittingham, who died
at age 64 in 2003 from complications following back surgery, exerts a strong
influence over his son's program.
He played
for eight years in the NFL, for several teams, then coached at the college and
pro levels for nearly three decades. That included a stint as defensive
coordinator at Utah, during which he hired Kyle Whittingham as defensive-line
coach in 1994.
The
younger Whittingham has been there ever since, a longevity that's been key to
the stability of the Utes' program. In 13-plus seasons as head coach, he has
forged a win-loss record of 113-57, remarkably going 11-1 in bowl games.
His coaching
staff includes another of Fred Willingham's sons, Freddie, and has reunited
this year with former Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen, a longtime
disciple of Fred Whittingham who described him to the Oregonian three years ago
as "best defensive mind that I've ever been around, by far."
The legacy
of Fred Whittingham's toughness, it seems, is still personified by Utah's
consistently staunch defenses.
"They
don't try to really fool you," Leach said. "They just come right at
you: 'Here, try to stop us.' "
……………………..
WSU grad
to receive Medal of Honor
Ronald J.
Shurer II selected for highest military award for valor for his actions in
Afghanistan
Lewiston Tribune
A graduate
of Washington State University is set to receive the highest military award for
valor Monday for his heroic actions in April 2008 while in Afghanistan during
Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ronald J.
Shurer II has been selected to receive the Medal of Honor at a White House
ceremony after he fought up a mountainside under heavy fire to aid his fellow
soldiers.
Shurer
graduated from WSU in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in business economics. According
to information from The Wall of Valor Project, Shurer was pursuing a master’s
degree prior to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which prompted him to enlist in
the U.S. Army.
President
Donald Trump will award the medal to Shurer “for conspicuous gallantry,”
according to a White House news release.
While
serving as a senior medical sergeant, Special Forces Operational Detachment
Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task Force-33, Shurer and his team came under
enemy fire. Enemy fire, including rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and
sniper fire, resulted in several casualties. Stuck on a mountainside, Shurer
fought enemy fire to treat an injured soldier, whom he stabilized. He then
fought through a barrage of bullets to reach and treat four additional
soldiers.
He began
evacuation efforts, lowering casualties down the mountainside, while using his
body as a shield from enemy fire and debris. He placed the wounded in an
evacuation helicopter, retook control of his commando squad and rejoined the
fight. Shurer was reportedly shot in the arm.
“Then-Staff
Sergeant Shurer’s heroic actions saved the lives of his teammates,” states the
news release.
After he
graduated from WSU, Shurer enlisted in the Army on Sept. 18, 2002. He entered
initial training that November. Shurer was promoted to staff sergeant in
December 2006. Then, in 2007, he served with the Combined Joint Special
Operations Task Force in Afghanistan from Nov. 28 to May 31, 2008.
He was
honorably discharged May 21, 2009, and began his career as a special agent with
the Secret Service, assigned to the Phoenix field office.
Shurer
resides in Burke, Va., with his wife, Miranda Shurer, and their two sons.
The Medal
of Honor is given to those who risk their lives “above and beyond the call of
duty.”
“The
meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so
conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades
and must have involved risk of life,” states the news release. “There must be
incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each
recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of
extraordinary merit.”
…………..
WSU
FOOTBALL
Larry
Scott: Controversial hit from USC-Washington State game was ‘very, very close’
to targeting
UPDATED:
Wed., Sept. 26, 2018, 5:42 p.m.
Spokesman-Review
by Theo Lawson
PULLMAN –
Porter Gustin’s controversial hit on Gardner Minshew was worth an extra look,
and though Pac-12 officials determined the helmet-to-helmet collision did not
warrant a targeting penalty, commissioner Larry Scott told the Associated Press
Tuesday it was “a very, very close one.”
Late in
the fourth quarter of Friday’s game between USC and Washington State, Gustin, a
senior outside linebacker for the Trojans, delivered a jarring hit on Minshew
after the Cougars’ quarterback released an incomplete pass on first-and-10 from
USC’s 25-yard line. A penalty would have advanced WSU, trailing 39-36, to the
Trojans’ 10-yard line with less than 2 minutes to play.
Gustin
appeared to lead with the crown of his helmet as he collided with Minshew and
jolted the QB to the turf. According to Scott, a team of replay officials at
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum gave the play a thorough examination, as did the
crew of experts at the Pac-12’s command center in San Francisco.
“So you
can certainly assume that play got a lot of looks, not just from the replay
booth at the stadium, but we’ve got our command center back in San Francisco
with our head of officiating and a bunch of experienced replay guys, who
absolutely would have looked at that play,” Scott told the AP.
Every play
is reviewed, Scott said, and the commissioner discussed Friday’s hit with the
officiating team. But the conference stood by its initial ruling and determined
Gustin’s play did not fall under the targeting umbrella.
It was
close, though.
“As you
know, in any given game there are a lot of close calls, and this was a very,
very close one,” Scott told the AP. “No doubt about it.”
All plays
are reviewed by three crews during a game – the on-field officials, those
stationed inside the replay booth of the press box and experts at the
conference’s command center in San Francisco.
The
Pac-12’s coordinator of officiating, David Coleman, and other staff members
typically review disputed calls on Monday of each week, Pac-12 vice president
of communications Dave Hirsch said, but the conference doesn’t comment publicly
on the individual judgments made by officials during a game.
/////////////////////////
Washington
State FOOTBALL’s Peyton Pelluer one of 64 FBS semifinalists for William V.
Campbell Trophy (top football scholar athlete)
UPDATED:
Wed., Sept. 26, 2018, 4:02 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson
Spokane
S-R
PULLMAN –
Washington State’s Peyton Pelluer was announced Wednesday morning as a
semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, an award handed out annually
by the National Football Foundation to the nation’s top football
scholar-athlete.
Pelluer, a
sixth-year senior linebacker for the Cougars, is one of 179 national
semifinalists, one of 64 in the Football Subdivision and one of four from the
Pac-12 Conference.
To qualify
for the William V. Campbell Trophy, one must be a senior/graduate student in
his final year of eligibility, carry a grade-point average of at least 3.2 (on
a 4.0 scale), have “outstanding football ability” and have demonstrated strong
leadership and citizenship.
The 12-14
finalists will be announced by the NFF on Oct. 31. Each will earn a $18,000
postgraduate scholarship, in addition to a trip to New York City for the 61st
NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4. The winner will have his scholarship
increased to $25,000 and win a $5,000 donation to support his school’s academic
services department.
Pelluer
has been named to the Pac-12 All-Academic second team each of the last four
seasons and earned a spot on the CoSIDA District VIII All-Academic first team
as a junior. The Sammamish, Washington, native earned an extra season of
eligibility after a season-ending injury in 2017 and is currently working
toward a postgraduate degree in education.
Past
winners of the award include Peyton Manning (Tennessee), Chad Pennington
(Marshall), Tim Tebow (Florida), Sam Acho (Texas), and last year’s recipient
Micah Kiser from Virginia.
In
addition to Pelluer, the other Pac-12 semifinalists are Cal’s Patrick Laird,
Stanford’s Jesse Burkett and Utah’s Mitch Wishnowsky.
:::::::::::::::::
Leach says
pressure is on Cougs to win one-on-ones against Utes
By ZACH
ANDERS Cougfan.com
Sept 25,
10:16 PM
PULLMAN —
Mike Leach said after practice Tuesday he sees a “physical” Utah team that is
stout along the lines, especially on defense. And one that has experience and
cohesion in the secondary behind it.
“I think
their safeties in particular are good," Leach said. "(But) the front
is the real concern there because they'll heat up the quarterback ... and
they're not afraid to isolate their secondary. You know, you’ve got to win your
one-on-one matchups with them."
Leach said
the Cougs' defense will have to respond with its own pressure on the
quarterback.
“Yeah we
need to produce more (pressure)," Leach said. "We’re getting better
on that. We’re fast, (but) we need to be more precise, but we’re getting better
on that.”
//////////////////////////
Leach
hopes "X" marks the spot for wideout Jackson
By Cougfan
writer Braden Johnson
PULLMAN —
Mike Leach said after practice Wednesday Washington State will continue to
tinker with its offensive skill rotations. Leach specifically discussed trying
to find depth and balance at receiver and running back.
Leach said
junior wideout Calvin Jackson Jr. will continue to rotate in at the
"X" position after doing some in previous games. The transfer from
Independence Community College has primarily lined up at the "Z"
slot, but juniors Easop Winston and Dezmon Patmon have commanded the bulk of
the in-game snaps. Leach said the Cougars are in search of a backup for
sophomore Tay Martin and Jackson's versatility makes him a natural fit.
"With
Easop emerging and and Dez playing well, (the "X") is kind of the
place where we're trying to find a place to get a second guy we think is
reliable," Leach said. "He's quick. He looks promising, and he bursts
out of his cuts real fast."
Leach also
said running backs James Williams and Max Borghi will continue to share
carries.
"We've
repped James more, but as Max masters things, he gets better and better,
too," Leach said. "I think right now, I can't really split them. I
think they're both very similar. I don't really have one ahead of the other,
except for experience for James."
………..
Coug
punter Oscar Draguicevich predicted his success
By BRIAN
STULTZ Cougfan.com
PULLMAN –
Quietly, punter Oscar Draguicevich has taken the start of the season by storm.
The third-year sophomore walk on from Hutto, Texas is averaging 47.8 hashes per
punt attempt. That would place him fifth in the nation except for one thing --
he's not listed in the official NCAA stats because he hasn't been called upon
enough yet.
Draguicevich
is averaging just 3.0 punts through four games as the offense has rendered his
skills rarely used. To qualify in the stats, the NCAA says punters must have a
minimum of 3.6 punts per game (and played in 75 percent of his team's games).
By the way, Draguicevich's punts are not coming back far either, with opponents
averaging a mere 2.33 yards per return.
While his
success may be a surprise to some, Draguicevich let his goals be known even
before fall camp began, posting on Twitter, and pinning the post to the top of
his timeline, his intentions:
It might
have seemed like a long shot at the time, but if he continues to flip the field
when called upon, that tweet might become a look into a future.
SCOTT SAYS
IT WASN'T TARGETING
Pac-12
commissioner Larry Scott told the Associated Press a controversial non-call in
the WSU-USC game was correct, and that USC linebacker Porter Gustin did not
commit a targeting penalty when his helmet struck that of Coug QB Gardner
Minshew's.
“So you
can certainly assume that play got a lot of looks, not just from the replay
booth at the stadium, but we’ve got our command center back in San Francisco
with our head of officiating and a bunch of experienced replay guys, who
absolutely would have looked at that play,” Scott told the Associated Press.
"As you know, in any given game there are a lot of close calls, and this
was a very, very close one. No doubt about it.”
The play,
where Gustin launches and strikes Minshew with force, begs the question that if
this isn't targeting, what is?
THE PAC-12
NETWORK IN PULLMAN
The Pac-12
Network will host "The Pregame" in Pullman leading up to the WSU-Utah
game. Per the press release:
"On
Saturday, Sept. 29, coverage on Pac-12 Network begins at 2 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. MT
with “The Pregame” as host Ashley Adamson and analysts Nigel Burton, Evan Moore
and Yogi Roth preview the day’s slate beginning with Utah at Washington State
at 3 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. MT, also on Pac-12 Network. The set location for "The Pregame"
this week will be outside of Martin Stadium near the School of Molecular
Biosciences building on the corner of Stadium Way and Ferdinand's Lane. Following the game will be “Pac-12 Football
Gamebreak” before Oregon State at Arizona State at 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. MT."
………….
This Week
in Cougar Soccer: 'we finally get credit we deserve'
BY BRADEN
JOHNSON/Cougfan.com
PULLMAN —
Sophomore defender Aaqila McLyn cuts straight to the chase when asked to
reflect on the Cougars’ defeat of UCLA that propelled them into the national
top 10 for the first time in school history. “I think we’re all going to
remember this for the rest of our lives,” the Long Beach Poly product tells
Cougfan.com. “We talk about it every day. We can’t believe it, but it makes us
even more hungry to keep making history for our school.”
Following
Friday’s 1-0 triumph over the No. 8 Bruins in Pasadena, the accolades rolled in
for the Cougs, who are now 8-0. They jumped up to No. 9 from No. 14 in the
United Soccer Coaches poll and also swept this week’s Pac-12 Player of the Week
Awards.
Junior
forward Morgan Weaver nabbed Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring
the game-winning goal against the Bruins in the 61st minute. McLyn, who made a
number of crucial stops in front of the net and assisted on Weaver’s score, was
named Defensive Player of the Week. And third-year junior goalkeeper Rachel Thompson
took Goalkeeper of the Week honors for her nine-save performance.
“I think
it’s just really humbling that we finally get the credit that we deserve,” says
defender Mikyaa Minniss. “But I think that we just need to tuck it our back
pocket and keep moving on, because we’re not done.”
The
Cougars will be gunning for their ninth straight tomorrow (Thursday) at home
against Oregon at 7 p.m.
The
conference-opening win over the Bruins reflected a change in mentality the
program has adopted under fourth-year head coach Todd Shulenberger. McLyn says
the energy the Cougars played with on Friday began in practice days before the
match.
WSU was
buoyed by last year’s upset of the Bruins, ranked No. 2 at the time, as well. A
fourth-minute goal by senior Maegan O’Neill and shutout performance by the
defense was the difference.
A FAMILIAR
SCRIPT PLAYED OUT in this year’s edition of the annual match. WSU fended off
eight first-half shots from UCLA to preserve a tie heading into halftime.
Fifteen minutes into the second period, McLyn made a long run down the field on
a counterattack, then crossed the ball to a cutting Weaver, who tucked the ball
into the lower corner of the goal.
“At first,
I was actually looking at Elyse (Bennett),” McLyn says of the play. “She was
making a run down the line, but then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan
flashing by. So I knew she had the speed and the skill to get the ball and take
it downfield, so I made that cross.”
WSU’s
defensive back-four then held serve for the final 30 minutes to finish off the
win. It was a standout performance for McLyn. “Aaqila is a fantastic player on
the ball, and she has a little more bite to her defensively that we were
looking for,” Shulenberger says. “Her will to win is pretty exceptional.”
THIS
YEAR’S VICTORY OVER THE BRUINS also came with a new face in the goal. Thompson,
who transferred to WSU last year after two seasons at Highline Community
College in Des Moines made her first-ever Pac-12 start and just the third of
her career.
From Nikiski,
Alaska, Thompson has been the Cougars’ starting goalkeeper since fifth-year
senior Ella Dederick suffered a knee injury against Idaho on Sept. 6. Dederick
is being evaluated week-to-week and there is no timetable for her return.
Thompson
is expected to start against the Ducks. After backing up Dederick, a four-year
starter, Thompson says she focused on keeping her mentality and preparation
strong in games and practice for when the opportunity arose.
“I knew I
had big shoes to fill,” she says. “Ella had such a huge, crucial role on this
team, and I needed to keep my level as high as hers, if not higher.”
Thompson
attributes her success, and that of the offense, to the strong play of WSU’s
defensive back-four.
“They’re
game-changers a lot of the time,” she says. “I mean, Morgan scores, but without
Aaqila’s ball, we don’t score. The back line is, I’d really say, the backbone
of this team.”
UP NEXT:
The Ducks are no slouch, entering this week’s the contest with a 7-1-1 overall
record and is fresh off a 1-0 win over Utah on Friday in Eugene.
“Oregon
has always been a great team,” Shulenberger says. “They’re starting to get over
that edge and they’re winning now. They’ve played some great opponents and they
have some great wins.”
The Cougars
and Ducks share one mutual opponent so far. Both played Nebraska in Lincoln in
August. WSU scored two second-half goals to defeat the Cornhuskers, 2-1, on
Aug. 31 while the Ducks fell, 2-0, a week prior.
After
Thursday’s match, the Cougars face Oregon State in a noon kickoff on Sunday.
The Beavers (1-8) have hit a rough patch since graduating their top-four
goal-scorers and starting goalkeeper from 2017. Most recently, OSU suffered a
6-0 home loss to No. 18 Colorado. The Beavers have yet to score more than one
goal in a match and have netted just four overall.
WSU has
something to prove against OSU, however. Despite out-shooting the Beavers,
14-7, in last season’s match in Corvallis, the Cougars could not find the back
of the net and surrendered a goal in double overtime to seal the loss.
“I
remember afterward, we had to bus all the way home, and that was probably one
of my worst experiences,” McLyn says. “It was really bad for our team chemistry
as well, but I think this year, we’re definitely not letting that happen
again.”
STATISTICALLY
SPEAKING: WSU was out-shot by the Bruins, 19-6, and only had three shots on
goal to the Bruins’ nine. “Our backline did an awesome job. We had a game plan
on how that was going to roll out, just like it did last year, and fortunately,
it did again,” said Shulenberger.
QUOTABLE:
“We got to the Sweet 16 last year – great,” Shulenberger says of the team’s
ranking. “This program … finished tied for third in the Pac-12 my first year
(in 2015), which is the highest-ever (finish in program history). But when push
comes to shove, that’s not good enough. It’s good where we’re going, but I have
high expectations of this team. So until we win something, we’re not there
yet.”
NOTABLE
NOTES:
The
Cougars’ last loss to Oregon came in 2011 – a 1-0 defeat in Eugene.
Weaver is
tied for third in goals scored in the Pac-12 with six.
Thompson’s
nine saves on Friday were the most by a WSU goalkeeper since Dederick recorded
11 against Colorado in October 2015.
The
Cougars have committed the third-most fouls (110) out of 333 NCAA Division I
soccer teams. WSU is averaging 13.75 fouls per game.
