Women's Soccer Takes Down No. 9 Kansas
October 19, 2014 04:49 PM | General
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior forward Kate Schwindel did what no other opponent has done to No. 9 Kansas all season – scored twice in one game – and the No. 13-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team pushed its unbeaten streak to 12 matches with a 2-0 win over the Jayhawks this afternoon at Rock Chalk Park.
Today’s win is the Mountaineers’ (11-2-2, 4-0-1) second of the season over a ranked opponent and first over a top-10 foe, giving WVU at least one victory over a top-10 team in each of the last 10 seasons.
“Kansas is ninth in the country for a reason, and I give them tons of compliments,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “This is one of the better attacks we’ve faced this season, and I thought we handled it well.”
WVU closes out its Big 12 Conference road schedule with a 3-0-1 mark; the team has not dropped a match since a 2-0 loss to No. 21 Duke on Aug. 29. The Mountaineers did not allow a goal in all four of their conference road matches, with today’s shutout pushing the team’s total to eight on the season.
Junior Hannah Steadman made three saves in the victory for her seventh clean sheet of the year.
“I can’t speak high enough about Hannah,” said Izzo-Brown. “A goalkeeper always makes the saves she’s supposed to make and then comes up with the big one. I thought Hannah did exactly that for us today. I thought she was tremendous. Her leadership in our defensive effort and getting the shutout was huge.”
The Jayhawks’ Kaitlyn Stroud finished with two saves.
KU (14-3, 4-2) entered the match having allowed eight goals in 16 contests, with no team scoring more than one goal in a single game. Schwindel ended that streak today with her two-goal performance, her second of the season and the third of her career. The Livingston, New Jersey, native now shows a team-best six goals.
“These two goals by Kate today speak volumes to what type of striker she is,” Izzo-Brown explained. “Our senior captain stepped up huge this weekend, netting three goals, including those today against the nation’s No. 9 team, and I’m proud of her effort.”
Up 1-0 in the 77th minute, Schwindel iced the game with her second goal. Amanda Hill served up a great pass to a streaking Ashley Lawrence outside of the box, and after beating a KU defender with a quick move, the sophomore midfielder crossed the ball to Schwindel inside the box. She immediately buried her shot from 10-yards out to the near right post.
Schwindel’s second goal came at an opportune time, as the Mountaineers, holding on to their one-goal advantage, were forced to withstand countless pressure from KU, particularly midfielder Jaime Fletcher. Fletcher had two great looks in the span of four minutes. Her first, a header off KU’s third corner kick in the 61st minute, sailed right of the net. Her second chance three minutes later proved more taxing, as she turned with the ball at the top of the box and sent a shot the top right corner, but Steadman was there with a leaping save to push the ball out of play.
“Grinding is so important for this team, and everyone pulled for each other today,” said Izzo-Brown. “Today was a result of a lot of team work. This is a great, great road win.”
WVU jumped out to an early lead, as Schwindel netted the game-winner, her second of the weekend and third of the season, at 4:31 in the first half, the team’s second-fast goal of the year and the 22nd-fastest goal in program history.
The score came right in front of Stroud, as Schwindel received a flick from Lawrence inside the box off a corner kick and buried her shot toward the back of the net.
Lawrence’s two assists match her single-game, career-best mark, first set in WVU’s 4-1 win over La Salle on Sept. 19.
Schwindel’s goal followed an early, impressive defensive effort by WVU, as the Mountaineers had to weather a fast KU attack in the match’s opening minutes. Fletcher got her first look at the net 50 seconds in, but Steadman made an excellent play on the chance, jumping and meeting the ball at its highest point and pushing it up and over the crossbar.
The Jayhawks’ Liana Salazar, the Big 12 Conference’s second-leading goal score with nine goals, nearly knotted the game in the 33rd minute, as she took a blast from high above the box that bounced off the cross bar.
WVU finished with a 9-7 edge in shots, while KU had a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks. Fletcher led all with four shots, while Schwindel paced WVU with three.
With today’s victory, the Mountaineers improve to 4-0 against the Jayhawks. WVU has never allowed a KU goal.
The Mountaineers close out the regular season with a three-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. WVU opens against Oklahoma State on Friday, Oct. 24, with kick set for 7 p.m.
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