No. 5/8 Mountaineers Nab Late, Thrilling Road Win
COLUMBUS, Ohio (September 11, 2015) – Back-to-back goals with less than 13 minutes to play pushed the No. 5/8 West Virginia University women’s soccer team to a dominating 2-0 victory at RV/15 Ohio State, this evening, at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Tonight’s win is the Mountaineers’ (6-1) third victory over a Big Ten Conference foe in as many weeks. WVU has now defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back Fridays, having earned a 1-0 win against No. 5/7 Penn State on Sept. 4.
The Buckeyes (4-1-1) are the fifth team this year to suffer its first loss of the season at the hands of the Mountaineers.
WVU absolutely dominated possession this evening, barely allowing the Buckeyes out of their own end. The final stat line spoke to the Mountaineers’ aggressive play, as they finished with a 23-5 edge in shots and a 6-3 edge in shots on-goal.
While the Mountaineers certainly got their looks tonight, it took a well-placed corner kick in the 77th minute to give WVU the chance it sorely needed. Freshman defender Bianca St. Georges worked the ball to the baseline to earn the team’s third and final corner of the match. She placed her kick perfectly in the box, and junior defender Kadeisha Buchanan met the ball at its highest point and buried her header toward the right post for her first goal of the season.
Unsatisfied with a one-goal lead, the Mountaineers maintained their pressure and netted the insurance goal 86 seconds later, as senior Amanda Hill played a pretty through ball to a streaking Kailey Utley up the left side of the field, and the senior forward took an in-stride shot inside the box that beat OSU’s Jillian McVicker to the right corner for her fourth goal of the game.
Senior Hannah Steadman made a season-high three saves for the team’s sixth shutout of the season. McVicker made four saves, and each team netted three corner kicks.
Junior midfielder Ashley Lawrence paced the field with five shots, and sophomore forward Michaela Abam added four. Utley placed two of her three shots on-goal.
Unfamiliar with one another, the two squads played between the 18s the first 15 minutes of the match. The Buckeyes struck first, as forward Nichelle Prince got a clean look at the net from inside the 18-yard box, but her shot was easily caught by Steadman.
Lawrence nearly gave the Mountaineers an early advantage in the 27th minute. She pounced on the ball after OSU whiffed on a clearance, but her shot from inside the penalty-kick line slammed off the crossbar and out of play.
The Mountaineers earned their first shot on-goal just 100 seconds later to spark an exciting three-minute span. Abam found a streaking Amandine Pierre-Louis, and the sophomore forward got an in-stride shot off just to the left of the box. McVicker met the ball at an angle and blocked the shot away with her legs.
Barely 35 seconds passed before WVU had its second chance. Utley drove to the baseline, but McVicker met her at the left post and blocked her short shot.
Pierre-Louis almost lucked into the Mountaineers’ first goal in the 30th minute, as she lofted a high cross toward Utley, but the ball hit the left post and nearly bounced inside the net.
Despite WVU’s second-half possession dominance, OSU almost stole the 1-0 advantage in the 75th minute. Forward Nichelle Prince took a shot from the left wing that Steadman was able to fall on for the save.
With the win, WVU evens the all-time series at 4-4-1.
The Mountaineers open a five-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium against Longwood on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.
Tickets for Sunday’s match are $3 for youth and $5 for adults. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each, and admission is free for WVU students with a valid student I.D. Tickets can be purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com.
Weather permitting, WVU will host a clinic for kids 13 and under following Sunday’s game at the recreational field just outside the stadium’s main gate. It also is “Camper Reunion Day,” with free admission for those who wear their 2015 camp t-shirt. Additionally, kids under 13 who bring a completed Musket Coloring Sheet to the DDSS gate will receive one free youth admission and will be entered into a drawing to win a plush Musket toy.
A free shuttle bus will be available from the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop for an hour leading up to Sunday’s start time. Return service to the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop also will be available for an hour at the conclusion of the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (September 11, 2015) – Back-to-back goals with less than 13 minutes to play pushed the No. 5/8 West Virginia University women’s soccer team to a dominating 2-0 victory at RV/15 Ohio State, this evening, at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Tonight’s win is the Mountaineers’ (6-1) third victory over a Big Ten Conference foe in as many weeks. WVU has now defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back Fridays, having earned a 1-0 win against No. 5/7 Penn State on Sept. 4.
The Buckeyes (4-1-1) are the fifth team this year to suffer its first loss of the season at the hands of the Mountaineers.
WVU absolutely dominated possession this evening, barely allowing the Buckeyes out of their own end. The final stat line spoke to the Mountaineers’ aggressive play, as they finished with a 23-5 edge in shots and a 6-3 edge in shots on-goal.
While the Mountaineers certainly got their looks tonight, it took a well-placed corner kick in the 77th minute to give WVU the chance it sorely needed. Freshman defender Bianca St. Georges worked the ball to the baseline to earn the team’s third and final corner of the match. She placed her kick perfectly in the box, and junior defender Kadeisha Buchanan met the ball at its highest point and buried her header toward the right post for her first goal of the season.
Unsatisfied with a one-goal lead, the Mountaineers maintained their pressure and netted the insurance goal 86 seconds later, as senior Amanda Hill played a pretty through ball to a streaking Kailey Utley up the left side of the field, and the senior forward took an in-stride shot inside the box that beat OSU’s Jillian McVicker to the right corner for her fourth goal of the game.
Senior Hannah Steadman made a season-high three saves for the team’s sixth shutout of the season. McVicker made four saves, and each team netted three corner kicks.
Junior midfielder Ashley Lawrence paced the field with five shots, and sophomore forward Michaela Abam added four. Utley placed two of her three shots on-goal.
Unfamiliar with one another, the two squads played between the 18s the first 15 minutes of the match. The Buckeyes struck first, as forward Nichelle Prince got a clean look at the net from inside the 18-yard box, but her shot was easily caught by Steadman.
Lawrence nearly gave the Mountaineers an early advantage in the 27th minute. She pounced on the ball after OSU whiffed on a clearance, but her shot from inside the penalty-kick line slammed off the crossbar and out of play.
The Mountaineers earned their first shot on-goal just 100 seconds later to spark an exciting three-minute span. Abam found a streaking Amandine Pierre-Louis, and the sophomore forward got an in-stride shot off just to the left of the box. McVicker met the ball at an angle and blocked the shot away with her legs.
Barely 35 seconds passed before WVU had its second chance. Utley drove to the baseline, but McVicker met her at the left post and blocked her short shot.
Pierre-Louis almost lucked into the Mountaineers’ first goal in the 30th minute, as she lofted a high cross toward Utley, but the ball hit the left post and nearly bounced inside the net.
Despite WVU’s second-half possession dominance, OSU almost stole the 1-0 advantage in the 75th minute. Forward Nichelle Prince took a shot from the left wing that Steadman was able to fall on for the save.
With the win, WVU evens the all-time series at 4-4-1.
The Mountaineers open a five-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium against Longwood on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.
Tickets for Sunday’s match are $3 for youth and $5 for adults. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each, and admission is free for WVU students with a valid student I.D. Tickets can be purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com.
Weather permitting, WVU will host a clinic for kids 13 and under following Sunday’s game at the recreational field just outside the stadium’s main gate. It also is “Camper Reunion Day,” with free admission for those who wear their 2015 camp t-shirt. Additionally, kids under 13 who bring a completed Musket Coloring Sheet to the DDSS gate will receive one free youth admission and will be entered into a drawing to win a plush Musket toy.
A free shuttle bus will be available from the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop for an hour leading up to Sunday’s start time. Return service to the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop also will be available for an hour at the conclusion of the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
