MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Sept. 21, 2023) – Behind a 76th-minute goal from fifth-year senior midfielder Maya McCutcheon, the West Virginia University women’s soccer team defeated Iowa State, 1-0, inside Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown on Thursday night.
West Virginia (3-5-2, 1-1 Big 12) earned its first Big 12 Conference win of the year with the victory, while McCutcheon’s goal marked her second of the campaign. Senior midfielder Isabel Loza was credited with the assist, marking the first helper of her career.
With under 15 minutes to play and the match still scoreless, both teams were eager for the go-ahead tally. It was the Mountaineers who would find it, as Loza dribbled into the final third before finding McCutcheon in the middle of the 18-yard box. The Murphy, Texas, native squared up to the goal and pitched it out of the reach of the ISU keeper for the game-winning strike.
The Mountaineers outshot Iowa State 19-7, with 13 of WVU’s shots coming in the second half. West Virginia also held a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal and an 11-5 edge in corner kicks. The Cyclones played a very physical match, as they were whistled for 21 fouls and three yellow cards.
McCutcheon led the offense with the goal, while Loza nearly had a score of her own with five shots and the game-winning assist. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Kayza Massey laid out for a pair of highlight reel-worthy saves, finishing with four stops altogether to salvage the clean sheet. Thursday’s shutout marked Massey and the Mountaineer defense’s fourth of the season. Of note, McCutcheon’s game-winning goal was the first of her career.
With the win, West Virginia remains undefeated all-time against Iowa State, improving to 12-0 overall and 6-0 in games played in Morgantown.
The Mountaineers cap the weekend homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 24, when they play host to TCU in a rematch of the 2022 Big 12 Championship final. Kickoff against the Horned Frogs is slated for noon ET. It’s the True Blue match, with all fans encouraged to wear blue, while it also is the team’s annual alumni game.
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