PULLMAN, Wash. – Senior defender Karly Graf netted a 56th minute game-winner, her first goal of the season and second of her career, to lead No. 14 California to a 1-0 shutout win at No. 25 Washington State Sunday at Lower Soccer Field.

The clean sheet victory was a welcome end to the weekend for the Golden Bear (12-4-2, 5-3-0 Pac-12) team that saw it's five-game winning streak end two days earlier in Seattle. Graf took a pass from Pac-12 leading scorer Arielle Ship at the top of the box and sent the ball into the upper right side-netting at 55:01 to give the Bears the win at Washington State (11-5-0, 4-4-0).

“They gave me so much space at the top of the box that I got to put the ball on my natural right foot and curl it into the upper corner,” Graf said of the goal. “It was an unbelievable moment.”

The victory is the second Top 25 road win of the season for the Bears, but more importantly it keeps Cal in third place on the Pac-12 ladder behind a pair of teams in Stanford and USC that still remain on the schedule over the final two weeks of the season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Boyd picked up five saves to earn her 10th clean sheet of the season. The Seattle native is now just one shutout shy of matching the California single-season record of 11 set by Karen Cook in 1996.

The Bears held a strong 18-11 edge in shots, but the Cougars had perhaps the most likely to score attempt in the game when the team earned a penalty kick in the 47th minute of a then-scoreless game. Susie White stepped up to the spot, but the redshirt junior sent the attempt high over the crossbar.

The Bears then took the 1-0 lead just eight minutes later when Ship found Graf on the left flank for the strike that would send Cal to its fifth Pac-12 win of the season.

“We felt like we played so well at UW,” Graf said. “It was really disappointing to lose in the last three minutes, so for us this was everything. This was to build our confidence and prove that we really are one of the top teams.”

California returns home for a Thursday night game against UCLA that kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.

Goal Summary
55:01, Cal – Karly Graf (Arielle Ship) – Shot from left side of the box to the upper far corner side-netting

News & Notes
● Karly Graf scored her first goal of the season – and second of her career – to put Cal ahead, 1-0
● Cal improves to 3-2-1 against Top 25 teams this season, with two of those wins coming in true away games
● Emily Boyd earned her 10th shutout of the season, moving the sophomore to just one clean sheet shy of tying the California single-season record of 11 last set in 1996. The Bears have three regular season games remaining.
● The Bears became just the fourth team to shutout Washington State this season
● Arielle Ship earned her fifth assist of the season, tied for the team lead with Ifeoma Onumonu, and continues to push her Pac-12 leading points total to 27 points on the season
● The Bears faced a penalty kick in the 47th minute, but the Cougars missed the attempt against California goalkeeper Emily Boyd
● California remains in third place in the Pac-12 standings with three games remaining – including games against the two teams ahead of the Bears on the ladder

On The Horizon
California returns home for a Thursday night game against UCLA that kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.