Arizona women’s soccer travelled to the Pacific northwest to take on Washington State and Washington this weekend. The Wildcats split the weekend action, beating Washington State but dropping a game to the Huskies.
Washington State:
It was 38 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff as the No. 25 Arizona Wildcats experienced some unfamiliar temperatures in Pullman, Wash. The team looked unfazed, however, as a late goal by the veteran Kelcey Cavarra propelled the ‘Cats to a 1-0 win over No. 15-ranked Washington State.
The lone goal came in the 81st minute when Hallie Pearson swung in a corner kick that was played in and headed by senior defender Samantha Falasco. The ball rolled into the middle of the box, which allowed Cavarra to launch it into the far post. It was Cavarra’s first goal of the season and the fifth of her career.
A pair of clutch blocks at the goal line from Arizona’s defense and another top-level performance in net from freshman goalkeeper Hope Hisey sealed the game and gave the UA its eighth win of the season.
Hisey made four saves, including a kick save in the 65th minute and another that she leaped for and pushed over the bar to deny Washington State’s Morgan Weaver of a goal in the 55th minute. Weaver was left dumbfounded as she threw her hands up in shock as she reacted to the save. The Tucson native logged her fourth career clean sheet as the Wildcats improve to 2-2 in conference play.
Washington:
The Wildcats had a heart-wrenching defeat to Washington on Sunday during a double-overtime game. The Wildcats’ lead going into the final ten minutes of the game wasn’t enough to stop Washington from completing the comeback.
The first half was a very defensive affair, with neither team wanting to concede the first goal of the match. The Wildcats broke through the stout Washington defense in the 27th minute of the match. The goal came off a set piece that was whipped into the box by Jill Aguilera and scrambled over the line by Ava McCray for her first goal of the season.
After conceding late in the first half, the Wildcats responded 12 minutes into the second half. Jill Aguilera was able to find Jada Talley in her stride with an excellent pass. This pass lead to Talley rounding the keeper and passing the ball into the net with a technical finish for her fifth goal of the season.
The game went to overtime after the Wildcats conceded a penalty in the 84th minute which lead to a Washington goal. Overtime was a back-and-forth exhibition with both teams desperately searching for the winner. The winner came in the second period of overtime when Washington’s Ameera Hussen blasted a free-kick toward the near post of the goal. The hopeful hand of Hisey wasn’t enough to stop the rocket-powered ball from finding the back of the net.
Arizona will be looking to bounce back when they face Utah on the road on Friday, Oct. 18th at 6:00 p.m. MST. This game will be broadcasted on Pac-12 Networks.
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