WVU Advances To BIG EAST Finals
November 05, 2010 09:14 PM | General
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET | HIGHLIGHTS FROM BIG EAST CONFERENCEPISCATAWAY, N.J. – Second half goals from forwards Megan Mischler and Frances Silva propelled the 16th-ranked West Virginia women’s soccer team past Connecticut, 2-0, Friday evening in BIG EAST semifinal action at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J.
The win advances WVU into the BIG EAST finals for the fourth time in school history, first since winning the 2007 championship. West Virginia awaits the winner of tonight’s second semifinal, USF versus No. 8 Marquette, on Sunday, Nov. 7 at noon.
West Virginia improves to 15-4-1, extending its school record win streak to 11 matches. The loss drops Connecticut to 10-9-3 on the season.
“Come tournament time, teams tend to tighten up (defensively),” said coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “We were able to create some chances and finished two goals on brilliant plays started by Blake Miller.”
After a scoreless first half, Mischler put the Mountaineers on the board in the 69th minute on her seventh goal of the season. Forward Blake Miller played a through ball up the middle as Mischler stepped in front of a defender and finished a one-timer into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“I made a slashing run across the middle and Blake served a perfect pass,” said Mischler. “I just had to place it one time into the net.”
Less than five minutes later, Silva added an insurance goal at the 73:20 mark on Miller’s second assist of the night. Miller saw Silva racing towards the middle from the right side, placing a perfect ball between two Huskie defenders. Silva slipped behind the defense and slotted a ball on the ground, off the inside of the left post for the 2-0 lead.
Connecticut began the second half with a flurry of pressure, but could not find the back of the net. UConn’s best scoring opportunity came off the foot of Linda Rutu who hit the crossbar on a shot from 25 yards in the 49th minute.
The Huskies had solid looks on back-to-back shots in the 60th minute from midfielder Elise Fugowski and forward Angelika Johansson, both slotting balls on the ground wide of the left post.
Goalkeeper Kerri Butler worked all 90 minutes, making three saves, as the Mountaineer defense picked up their 12th shutout of the season. The Huskies were held to eight shots overall, nine below their season average, and only managed three shots on-goal in the contest.
West Virginia’s back line of Bry McCarthy, Drea Barklage, Erica Henderson and Meghan Lewis lured Connecticut into four offside calls in the opening 30 minutes. All four first half UConn shots were taken from outside the box.
“To get a shutout against a very good UConn team says a lot about our back line,” said Izzo-Brown. “We limited their scoring chances and tried to make it difficult for them in the final third of the field.”
West Virginia opened the match strong, keeping the ball in its offensive third for much of the first half. WVU attempted five shots in the first half, including back-to-back shots from Miller and Mischler in the 20th minute. Miller sent a ball just wide on an attempt from the top of the box and Mischler’s header went over the crossbar.
Silva had a fine scoring chance in the 40th minute on a great volley off a Bri Rodriguez pass into the middle. Silva’s shot was directed at the crossbar, forcing goalkeeper Jessica Dulski to backpedal and punch the ball over the goal.
West Virginia finished with a 10-8 edge in shots, 4-2 corner kick advantage and each team was whistled for eight fouls.
The Mountaineers have beaten Connecticut twice this season, after posting a 3-0 victory on Oct. 22 in Morgantown.
WVU is 6-1-2 in its last nine BIG EAST tournament matches.
CBS College, Sports along with several regional networks, will televise the championship game with Tammy Blackburn (color) and Jason Knapp (play-by-play) calling the action.
The title game also will be streamed live online for free at BIGEAST.TV.
Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 12 and younger) and senior citizens. Admission is free for children age two and younger, and for students from BIG EAST institutions with a valid student ID.
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