No. 18 UCLA overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat No. 19 Washington State, 2-1. Ashley Sanchez scored the tying goal in the 54th minute, and Mia Fishel scored the game-winner in the 85th.
Washington State came out firing immediately, coming inches away from scoring just 12 seconds in on a shot by Morgan Weaver. The Cougars did get on the board at 32:36 when MacKenzie Frimpong-Ellerston pounced on a failed clearance, one-timing her shot past UCLA goalkeeper Teagan Micah.
The Bruins worked quickly in the second half to pull even. Maricarmen Reyes sent a through ball to Anika Rodriguez speeding up the field. Rodriguez laid it off to a trailing Sanchez, who tapped it in for the equalizer at 53:49. The goal was Sanchez's sixth of the season.
Sanchez almost scored another one in the 77th minute, curling a shot that required a diving save from Cougar goalkeeper Ella Dederick. Washington State also had a good scoring chance in the 80th minute, with Weaver taking a close-range shot that Micah was able to handle.
Fishel finished it off at 84:10 with her team-leading eighth goal of the year. Rodriguez was once again the catalyst for the goal, sending a perfect through ball to Fishel, who blew past the Washington State defense and beat Dederick for the game-winner.
All gas, no brakes for @FishelMia. ??
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) October 27, 2019
Her 8??th goal of the season for @UCLAWSoccer is our @OpusBank #12Best Moment. pic.twitter.com/lcYw1a6vUW
With the win, UCLA improves to 11-4-1, 5-3-0 in the Pac-12. Washington State falls to 10-5-1, 3-4-1.
UCLA, which celebrated Senior Day prior to the game, started all seven of its seniors - Chloe Castaneda, Sunny Dunphy, Jessie Fleming, Kaiya McCullough, Micah, Rodriguez and Maki Umehara.
The Bruins will next travel to Oregon State for a Halloween night matchup.