Utley’s Three Goals Give No. 4 Mountaineers Sweet Win
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (November 22, 2015) – An electric second half from senior forward Kailey Utley helped push the No. 4-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team to the NCAA Elite Eight this afternoon, as the Mountaineers defeated Loyola Marymount 5-2 in the NCAA Tournament Third Round in front of 802 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Knotted at 2-2 after 45 minutes of play, the St. Louis native put the Mountaineers on her shoulders in the second half, connecting on all three of her shots and pushing WVU to its second-ever NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance and first since 2007.
The second-seeded Mountaineers (19-2-1, 6-0-1) will face top-seeded and sixth-ranked Penn State on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 4 p.m., at Jeffrey Field, in University Park, Pennsylvania. WVU tallied a 1-0 victory against the Big Ten Conference champions on Sept. 4, in Morgantown.
Today’s win against LMU (15-5-1, 7-2), WVU’s program-record 19th victory of the season, was the Mountaineers’ 100th at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers conclude their 2015 home season on a 25 game unbeaten streak in matches played in Morgantown.
“From day one, this team wanted to separate themselves and be special,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, now just one win away from her 300th career victory. “I have been fortunate to be the only coach here at West Virginia, so I am able to compare them to past teams. I don’t like to compare teams, but I will tell you that this team wanted to separate itself and be special. They have done just that today with their 19 wins because no other team in program history has done that.”
WVU improved to 15-14-2 in all-time NCAA Tournament play, 10-6-2 in Morgantown and 2-2 in third-round contests.
Held without a shot throughout an intense first half, Utley took control of the contest in the second half, tallying the game-winner, her team-best seventh of the season, in the 54th minute. After receiving a cross inside the box from freshman forward Nia Gordon, Utley turned with the ball and directed it toward the far left post.
The All-Big 12 First Team honoree tacked on two insurance goals, with the first coming just three minutes later as the team connected on its second corner kick. The ball bounced around after it was put in play before reaching Utley’s feet at the top of the box. She immediately ripped a shot that sailed behind LMU’s Charlee Pruitt.
Utley’s final goal in the 81st minute punctuated an exciting second half. Waiting near the penalty-kick hash, she easily completed a cross from freshman defender Bianca St. Georges for her first-career three-goal game. Utley is the fourth Mountaineer to score two or more goals in a game this season.
“LMU had a great game plan, and they came out ready to play,” said Izzo-Brown. “They were man marking us tight. Kailey Utley gets all the credit because she separated herself from her defender. She decided to draw the line physically, mentally and technically, and she wanted to find the back of the net.
“I have been riding my seniors and our leadership all year, so this doesn’t surprise me. I am so glad she made that decision. She was relentless about it.”
“As a senior captain, I knew that my performance in the first half was not good enough,” Utley explained. “We were tied 2-2, and it could have been our last game. It could have been the end of our season. I knew I had to pick it up.”
Utley now shows a team-best 12 goals on the season, the fourth-best season total for a Mountaineer senior. She also paces WVU with 30 points (12 G, 6 A), the fifth-best season total for a Mountaineer senior. Today’s onslaught of goals were her first scores since tallying the game-winner at Oklahoma State on Oct. 23.
The Mountaineers finished with a narrow 15-14 shot advantage, holding the Lions to just five shots in the second half. The five goals are the most scored by a WVU team in an NCAA Tournament match. WVU has outscored its opponents 13-2 through the first three NCAA Tournament rounds. Additionally the Mountaineers have tallied four or more goals in nine games this season, a school record.
Despite allowing two goals for only the second time this year, and the first since a 2-1 defeat to No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Aug. 23, WVU senior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman was solid in net, making a career-high nine saves. She matched her previous best of six in the first half.
LMU’s Pruitt finished with four saves, two each half.
WVU finished with a 3-2 edge in corner kicks; neither team earned a chance in the first half.
Meeting for only the second time, the squads played between the 18s throughout the first 15 minutes of the match. WVU got on the board first, as the Mountaineers capitalized on an LMU miscue in the 17th minute. After a yellow card was issued to Gordon, Pruitt punted her kick right to a wall of Mountaineers. The ball was worked to Ashley Lawrence on the left wing, and she sent a cross into the box, which sophomore forward Michaela Abam flicked with her head to the far right post.
The score also gives Abam a team-best 12 goals on the season, the fourth-best total for a Mountaineer sophomore.
WVU’s early advantage was erased in the 26th minute, as the Lions converted on a free kick. Midfielder Jocelyn Blackenship sent the ball into the box, and defender Raquel Angelone headed it in front of the net behind Steadman for her first goal of the season.
The Mountaineers regained the lead in the 39th minute off a heads-up play from sophomore forward Heather Kaleiohi. Classmate Amandine Pierre-Louis sent a shot from inside the box toward the far left post. Pruitt dove to make the initial save but could not cover the ball, giving Kaleiohi an opportunity to chip it up over the redshirt-freshman for her second score of the season.
WVU did not own an advantage for long, as LMU earned an own goal in the 41st minute. Jill Farley lofted the ball into the box from the right wing, and it took an unfortunate bounce off WVU freshman Easter Mayi Kith’s head before flying past Steadman’s hands.
Blankenship finished with a game-high four shots, all on-frame. Utley and Abam tallied three shots each for WVU.
Utley finished the game with six points, while Abam added four, as earned the assist on Utley’s first two goals.
Today’s win gives WVU a 2-0 all-time series edge over LMU.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (November 22, 2015) – An electric second half from senior forward Kailey Utley helped push the No. 4-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team to the NCAA Elite Eight this afternoon, as the Mountaineers defeated Loyola Marymount 5-2 in the NCAA Tournament Third Round in front of 802 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Knotted at 2-2 after 45 minutes of play, the St. Louis native put the Mountaineers on her shoulders in the second half, connecting on all three of her shots and pushing WVU to its second-ever NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance and first since 2007.
The second-seeded Mountaineers (19-2-1, 6-0-1) will face top-seeded and sixth-ranked Penn State on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 4 p.m., at Jeffrey Field, in University Park, Pennsylvania. WVU tallied a 1-0 victory against the Big Ten Conference champions on Sept. 4, in Morgantown.
Today’s win against LMU (15-5-1, 7-2), WVU’s program-record 19th victory of the season, was the Mountaineers’ 100th at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers conclude their 2015 home season on a 25 game unbeaten streak in matches played in Morgantown.
“From day one, this team wanted to separate themselves and be special,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, now just one win away from her 300th career victory. “I have been fortunate to be the only coach here at West Virginia, so I am able to compare them to past teams. I don’t like to compare teams, but I will tell you that this team wanted to separate itself and be special. They have done just that today with their 19 wins because no other team in program history has done that.”
WVU improved to 15-14-2 in all-time NCAA Tournament play, 10-6-2 in Morgantown and 2-2 in third-round contests.
Held without a shot throughout an intense first half, Utley took control of the contest in the second half, tallying the game-winner, her team-best seventh of the season, in the 54th minute. After receiving a cross inside the box from freshman forward Nia Gordon, Utley turned with the ball and directed it toward the far left post.
The All-Big 12 First Team honoree tacked on two insurance goals, with the first coming just three minutes later as the team connected on its second corner kick. The ball bounced around after it was put in play before reaching Utley’s feet at the top of the box. She immediately ripped a shot that sailed behind LMU’s Charlee Pruitt.
Utley’s final goal in the 81st minute punctuated an exciting second half. Waiting near the penalty-kick hash, she easily completed a cross from freshman defender Bianca St. Georges for her first-career three-goal game. Utley is the fourth Mountaineer to score two or more goals in a game this season.
“LMU had a great game plan, and they came out ready to play,” said Izzo-Brown. “They were man marking us tight. Kailey Utley gets all the credit because she separated herself from her defender. She decided to draw the line physically, mentally and technically, and she wanted to find the back of the net.
“I have been riding my seniors and our leadership all year, so this doesn’t surprise me. I am so glad she made that decision. She was relentless about it.”
“As a senior captain, I knew that my performance in the first half was not good enough,” Utley explained. “We were tied 2-2, and it could have been our last game. It could have been the end of our season. I knew I had to pick it up.”
Utley now shows a team-best 12 goals on the season, the fourth-best season total for a Mountaineer senior. She also paces WVU with 30 points (12 G, 6 A), the fifth-best season total for a Mountaineer senior. Today’s onslaught of goals were her first scores since tallying the game-winner at Oklahoma State on Oct. 23.
The Mountaineers finished with a narrow 15-14 shot advantage, holding the Lions to just five shots in the second half. The five goals are the most scored by a WVU team in an NCAA Tournament match. WVU has outscored its opponents 13-2 through the first three NCAA Tournament rounds. Additionally the Mountaineers have tallied four or more goals in nine games this season, a school record.
Despite allowing two goals for only the second time this year, and the first since a 2-1 defeat to No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Aug. 23, WVU senior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman was solid in net, making a career-high nine saves. She matched her previous best of six in the first half.
LMU’s Pruitt finished with four saves, two each half.
WVU finished with a 3-2 edge in corner kicks; neither team earned a chance in the first half.
Meeting for only the second time, the squads played between the 18s throughout the first 15 minutes of the match. WVU got on the board first, as the Mountaineers capitalized on an LMU miscue in the 17th minute. After a yellow card was issued to Gordon, Pruitt punted her kick right to a wall of Mountaineers. The ball was worked to Ashley Lawrence on the left wing, and she sent a cross into the box, which sophomore forward Michaela Abam flicked with her head to the far right post.
The score also gives Abam a team-best 12 goals on the season, the fourth-best total for a Mountaineer sophomore.
WVU’s early advantage was erased in the 26th minute, as the Lions converted on a free kick. Midfielder Jocelyn Blackenship sent the ball into the box, and defender Raquel Angelone headed it in front of the net behind Steadman for her first goal of the season.
The Mountaineers regained the lead in the 39th minute off a heads-up play from sophomore forward Heather Kaleiohi. Classmate Amandine Pierre-Louis sent a shot from inside the box toward the far left post. Pruitt dove to make the initial save but could not cover the ball, giving Kaleiohi an opportunity to chip it up over the redshirt-freshman for her second score of the season.
WVU did not own an advantage for long, as LMU earned an own goal in the 41st minute. Jill Farley lofted the ball into the box from the right wing, and it took an unfortunate bounce off WVU freshman Easter Mayi Kith’s head before flying past Steadman’s hands.
Blankenship finished with a game-high four shots, all on-frame. Utley and Abam tallied three shots each for WVU.
Utley finished the game with six points, while Abam added four, as earned the assist on Utley’s first two goals.
Today’s win gives WVU a 2-0 all-time series edge over LMU.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
