WVU Advances in NCAAs
November 14, 2008 09:51 PM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
November 14, 2008
| Princeton 1, #12 West Virginia 2 Klockner Stadium Charlottesville, Va. |
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| Shots | 4 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shots on Goal | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Saves | 5 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Corner Kicks | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fouls | 7 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A pair of goals in the first 26 minutes were enough for the 12th-ranked West Virginia women’s soccer team to down Princeton, 2-1, Friday evening in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.
“We beat a good Princeton team tonight,” said Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “They took very good care of the ball. But we were patient and used a total team effort to win our first round NCAA game.”
It took the Mountaineers only 10 minutes to find the back of the net. The first goal came off a corner kick from junior Nicole Mailloux at the 10:20 mark. Redshirt freshman Erica Henderson then one-timed the serve inside the far post for the 1-0 lead.
West Virginia added to its lead in the 26th minute on freshman Blake Miller’s team-leading 10th goal of the season. Freshman Morgan Betscher started the attack returning a goal kick into the path of Miller who was moving up field. Miller struck a ball from 30 yards out that looped over the head of backup goalkeeper Kristin Watson and into the net.
Miller's goal was her team-leading sixth game-winner this season. The St. Louis, Mo., native has scored more goals than any WVU freshman in school history.
Mountaineer freshmen have accounted for 19 of the team’s 43 goals this season. Henderson’s goal tonight, her sixth of the season, is the second of this postseason. The Rochester, N.Y., native scored the lone WVU goal in its BIG EAST Semifinal match against Connecticut.
“I knew they would have to step up with the production we lost last year,” said Izzo-Brown of the freshmen contributions. “The goals were going to have to come from somewhere. I don’t know if I would have necessarily stamped it all on freshmen though. And sometimes I think freshmen don’t feel the pressure. They just go out there and play.”
Princeton, the Ivy League champions, scored in the 89th minute after retaining possession following a corner kick. A scramble ensued in front of the box and midfielder Jen Om found the back of the net from 10 yards out.
Miller nearly added another goal just minutes into the second half. The 5-foot-6 forward fired a shot from the top of the box, forcing a nice punch save over the crossbar from Watson.
WVU out-shot the Tigers 10-4 on the night, including a game-high three shots from both Henderson and Miller.
Seniors Kelsey Fowler and Lisa DuCote also had strong outings as the Mountaineers improve to 14-2-6. The Tigers finish their season at 12-3-2.
Betscher, along with seniors Stephanie Burgess and Michelle Molinari, each contributed 30-plus minutes off the bench.
The Mountaineers advance to play host Virginia on Sunday, Nov. 16. Kickoff is scheduled for noon against the Cavaliers, the No. 2 seed in the UCLA region. Virginia advanced into the second round with a convincing 2-0 win over Army Friday.
The Mountaineers and Cavaliers met earlier this season in Morgantown, a 3-0 WVU victory on Sept. 21. The two teams have met twice before in NCAA play, with Virginia winning both contests (2002, 2006).
“Virginia is a great team and I have so much respect for Steve (Swanson) and his program,” said Izzo-Brown. “They’ve gotten better since the early part of the season and it will be a battle on Sunday.”
This is the sixth time that West Virginia has advanced to the NCAA second round.
