Arizona Soccer dominates Pac-12 play, sweeps UW and WSU

In a busy weekend of Wildcat action, the Arizona Soccer team dominated their games against Washington and Washington State in Tucson.

It’s not easy competing in the Pac-12, but so far in 2018, the Wildcats have been battling. Fresh off a tie last week against Cal, the Arizona Soccer team returned to action this weekend.

In their first game versus Washington on Thursday, the Wildcats were looking to get back on track against a competitive Huskies squad.

Arizona Wildcats

From the start you could tell this one was going to be a tough one. Arizona and Washington would exchange plenty of shots and opportunities for much of the first half, with neither team able to take advantage.

After 45 minutes of play, both squads would head into halftime, tied at 0-0.

The second half would be much of the same. Arizona would have plenty of opportunities once again in the second half, but would come up unsuccessful. Luckily, the Wildcats’ defense would pull through, stifling the Huskies at every chance.

Still tied 0-0, the two teams would play with the full 90 minutes without a score, needing extra time to settle this one.

Arizona would play the first ten minutes, unable to capitalize, so both would need at least another ten minutes of play to hopefully settle this one.

FINALLY! In the 103rd minute of the game, junior defensive player Brynn Moga would find the back of the net to give the Wildcats the 1-0 victory!

Arizona would finish the game with 16 shots, five on goal. Senior goalkeeper Lainey Burdett would keep the Huskies scoreless, gathering three saves for the match!

Hoping to go for the weekend sweep, Arizona would return to action on Sunday against Washington State. Unlike, the game Thursday, this one would have a bit more action.

Through the first half, neither team would get much going. Arizona would have quite a few shots in the first half, but were unsuccessful. The two squads would head into halftime with a 0-0 tie.

Looking to get things going in the second, it would take long for the Wildcats to convert, scoring in the 60th minute to make it 1-0 Arizona. Moga would come through again for the Wildcats, scoring her second goal on the year.

Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last long. The Cougars would bounce right back, scoring a goal eight minutes later to even this one at 1-1.

Luckily, Arizona did what they do best, Bearing Down and coming through when it mattered. At the 71st minute, the Wildcats would take the lead for good, scoring on a goal from Amanda Porter to make it 2-1.

The Wildcats would hang on to win this one by a 2-1 final, improving to 10-4-2 on the year, 3-3-2 in Pac-12 play.

The Wildcats would cap off a successful senior day with a victory, finishing the season with a 9-1-2 home record! Arizona will return to action next week, when they square off with Oregon schools on the road. First up will be Oregon State on Thursday, followed by Oregon on Sunday.

At Zona Zealots, we would like to congratulate the Wildcats on the successful week and hope they can carry that into the next as they look to finish the year strong! Bear Down, Arizona!