STOCKTON, Calif. -- It went down to the wire, but the USF women's soccer team inched closer to claiming its first-ever WCC title with a 1-0 win over Pacific on Friday evening at Knoles Field. Amanda Whittle netted the game-winner in the 86th minute to help the Dons improve to 12-3-3 overall and 6-1-0 in WCC play, keeping USF tied with LMU atop the WCC standings for the time being. 

Whittle was able to find a big enough crease right in front of the box amidst a scrum of bodies and deflected shots to notch the game-winner and tally her third score of the year.  

"Nothing like dramatics in the last four minutes," said head coach Jim Millinder. "I felt like the first half we weren't committed enough to be a WCC champion, but in the second half I thought we picked it up a lot. I told the girls at halftime that, on a scale of 1-10, I thought we were about a six in the first half. But [in the second half] we were taking better care of the ball, and I felt that if it went to overtime we were going to win. Overall, it was outstanding team win - nothing different than what we've done all year long, just a terrific collection of players." 

The Dons ended up not needing the extra time, a result that Millinder credited with some of his players off the bench. 

"A lot of the reserves came on and played great for us," said Millinder. "Tiara Webb was absolutely outstanding tonight. That was the best college game I've seen her play. Not only was she terrific on the ball, but she worked very hard defensively. To me, she was the difference in the match."

One of USF's best chances came late in the second half when, in the 76th minute, Webb delivered a shot from the lower right wing near the endline that was deflected, while the follow up by Carissa Martine sailed just high wide right of the night. 

Both teams jostled for momentum throughout the contest. Pacific (3-12-1, 2-5-0) had a good look when Hannah Stammer fired off a line drive shot in the 52nd minute that was stabbed by a diving Madalyn Schiffel - one of her six saves on the night, matching her season high. 

The Dons held a 17-10 advantage in shots on the night, led by Whittle's four shots, three of which were on goal. USF also enjoyed an 8-4 edge in corner kicks. 

After Friday night's result, USF sits first-place tie with LMU, who defeated San Diego 1-0 on Thursday. The Lions play BYU on Saturday evening in Provo.  

"We just need to go out and play hard," added Millinder about his team coming down to the wire in the WCC race. "I told the girls that you can look at games and results all you want, but the only thing we can really do is look at us. What we can do is what we can control." 

The Dons return to the pitch on Sunday when they travel to Moraga to face Saint Mary's, who came into the weekend at 7-7-3, 2-3-1, with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. from Saint Mary's Stadium.