No. 10/12 Mountaineers Fall to No. 11/13 Virginia Tech
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (August 23, 2015) – An inadvertent handball called in the 62nd minute proved to be the difference in a heated contest between the No. 10/12 West Virginia University women’s soccer team and No. 11/13 Virginia Tech today, as the Hokies converted the resulting penalty kick and defeated the Mountaineers, 2-1, at Indiana’s Armstrong Stadium.
VT (2-0) earned its second corner of the game in the 62nd minute with the match tied at 1-1. The ball eventually found Hokie Madi Conyers just inside the box. WVU (1-1) was able to block the shot but was whistled for a handball. Candace Cephers made the most of the awarded penalty kick, beating senior Hannah Steadman and giving the advantage back to VT for good.
“I think what’s really good is that we created many, many chances, but unfortunately, when you don’t finish three balls within the six, those missed opportunities come back to haunt you,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “We had really good moments in the game, and we had some really good fixable moments, too. Overall, we’ve learned that we have to finish a game.”
The loss is WVU’s first since a 2-0 defeat to No. 21 Duke on Aug. 29, 2014, in Morgantown, and snapped the team’s program-record 20-match unbeaten streak. The win puts the all-time series with VT at 3-3.
Tied 0-0 after 45 minutes of play, the Mountaineers were put on their heels early in the second half, as VT earned its first corner kick of the game and tallied two shots, including a blast from Cephers from outside the 18-yard box that rammed off the crossbar, within the first six minutes. The Hokies made good on their fifth shot of the match, as junior forward Murielle Tiernan received the ball from Ashley Meier at the top of the box, turned and sent a high, sailing shot toward the upper left corner.
The Mountaineers wasted little time, immediately pressing in VT’s final third. Senior forward Kailey Utley evened the score at 1-1 in the 57th minute, pouncing on the ball in front of the net and putting a shot behind VT’s Kaylyn Smith. Smith was nowhere in place to make the save, as she had initially come out to block a shot by Michaela Abam, leaving Utley with an open look. The goal was the seventh career score for the St. Louis native.
Statically, the Mountaineers were the more dominant team, finishing with a 22-9 edge in shots. Smith made eight saves for VT, while Steadman stopped one for WVU. The squads each earned three corners.
“Virginia Tech got one good look, and they were able to finish,” Izzo-Brown said. “It’s unfortunate because I do believe our backline played well and we had solid defensive organization. Unfortunately, there are no moral victories.”
Abam, a sophomore forward, led all with eight shots. She and Utley each finished with three on-frame.
Abam generated WVU’s first great chance in the early minutes, as she got a shot off a Mountaineer corner in the sixth minute that Smith blocked with her hands. She followed that chance with two more looks in the 12th minute, but too many VT defenders inside the box thwarted the opportunities.
WVU controlled possession throughout the first 20 minutes, but when forced to protect, the Mountaineer defense stood its ground, with junior center backs Kadeisha Buchanan and Carly Black each registering blocks.
Utley nearly tied the game again in the 67th minute, as she raced toward the left post after receiving the ball from Leah Emaus and angled herself to send a shot toward the right post. Though out of position, Smith’s last-ditch effort denied WVU the goal, as she kicked the ball away with the tip of her cleat.
The Mountaineers stay on the road next Friday and travel to College Park, Maryland, for their first-ever meeting with Maryland. First kick from Ludwig Field is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (August 23, 2015) – An inadvertent handball called in the 62nd minute proved to be the difference in a heated contest between the No. 10/12 West Virginia University women’s soccer team and No. 11/13 Virginia Tech today, as the Hokies converted the resulting penalty kick and defeated the Mountaineers, 2-1, at Indiana’s Armstrong Stadium.
VT (2-0) earned its second corner of the game in the 62nd minute with the match tied at 1-1. The ball eventually found Hokie Madi Conyers just inside the box. WVU (1-1) was able to block the shot but was whistled for a handball. Candace Cephers made the most of the awarded penalty kick, beating senior Hannah Steadman and giving the advantage back to VT for good.
“I think what’s really good is that we created many, many chances, but unfortunately, when you don’t finish three balls within the six, those missed opportunities come back to haunt you,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “We had really good moments in the game, and we had some really good fixable moments, too. Overall, we’ve learned that we have to finish a game.”
The loss is WVU’s first since a 2-0 defeat to No. 21 Duke on Aug. 29, 2014, in Morgantown, and snapped the team’s program-record 20-match unbeaten streak. The win puts the all-time series with VT at 3-3.
Tied 0-0 after 45 minutes of play, the Mountaineers were put on their heels early in the second half, as VT earned its first corner kick of the game and tallied two shots, including a blast from Cephers from outside the 18-yard box that rammed off the crossbar, within the first six minutes. The Hokies made good on their fifth shot of the match, as junior forward Murielle Tiernan received the ball from Ashley Meier at the top of the box, turned and sent a high, sailing shot toward the upper left corner.
The Mountaineers wasted little time, immediately pressing in VT’s final third. Senior forward Kailey Utley evened the score at 1-1 in the 57th minute, pouncing on the ball in front of the net and putting a shot behind VT’s Kaylyn Smith. Smith was nowhere in place to make the save, as she had initially come out to block a shot by Michaela Abam, leaving Utley with an open look. The goal was the seventh career score for the St. Louis native.
Statically, the Mountaineers were the more dominant team, finishing with a 22-9 edge in shots. Smith made eight saves for VT, while Steadman stopped one for WVU. The squads each earned three corners.
“Virginia Tech got one good look, and they were able to finish,” Izzo-Brown said. “It’s unfortunate because I do believe our backline played well and we had solid defensive organization. Unfortunately, there are no moral victories.”
Abam, a sophomore forward, led all with eight shots. She and Utley each finished with three on-frame.
Abam generated WVU’s first great chance in the early minutes, as she got a shot off a Mountaineer corner in the sixth minute that Smith blocked with her hands. She followed that chance with two more looks in the 12th minute, but too many VT defenders inside the box thwarted the opportunities.
WVU controlled possession throughout the first 20 minutes, but when forced to protect, the Mountaineer defense stood its ground, with junior center backs Kadeisha Buchanan and Carly Black each registering blocks.
Utley nearly tied the game again in the 67th minute, as she raced toward the left post after receiving the ball from Leah Emaus and angled herself to send a shot toward the right post. Though out of position, Smith’s last-ditch effort denied WVU the goal, as she kicked the ball away with the tip of her cleat.
The Mountaineers stay on the road next Friday and travel to College Park, Maryland, for their first-ever meeting with Maryland. First kick from Ludwig Field is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
