No. 8 Women's Soccer Wins Big 12 Title!
October 26, 2014 05:17 PM | General
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In front of a pink-clad crowd of 1,257 on a sunny, day at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, the No. 8-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team clinched its third straight Big 12 Conference regular-season championship with a 3-1 win over Oklahoma.
The victory pushes the Mountaineers’ (13-2-2, 6-0-1) unbeaten streak to 14 matches. WVU’s unbeaten streak in home conference matches stands at 25.
Today’s title gives WVU at least one Big 12 championship in each season since joining the league in 2012. The Mountaineers have won four straight conference regular-season crowns, dating back to the 2011 Big East American Division title.
With today’s win, WVU’s all-time record in Big 12 regular-season play stands at 20-1-2
“This is what we set out to do last spring when the team was working hard throughout the offseason,” coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said of today’s title win. “Every game this year has been about getting better and getting ready for conference play. There are three times a year you can win a championship. We have one now.
“The fans today were unbelievable. I can’t think our fans enough. They inspire and motivate us, and it’s so nice to get them behind us. We want Morgantown to be the toughest environment to play in.”
The Mountaineers entered today’s match boasting 16 points in conference play, and this win puts the team’s total at 19. With one regular-season contest remaining, WVU, the defending Big 12 Soccer Tournament champions, has secured the No. 1 seed for this year’s tournament.
The preseason favorite, WVU is the second team in Big 12 history to win three straight regular-season titles; Texas A&M won four consecutive crowns from 2004-07. This is the eighth time in conference history the preseason favorite in the coaches’ poll won the title.
Today’s title is WVU’s second straight clinched against the Sooners, as the Mountaineers earned their 2013 regular-season crown with a 2-1 double-overtime victory in Norman last year. The Mountaineers are 3-0 all-time against the Sooners.
“It’s so hard to win championships, especially in this league,” Izzo-Brown explained. “It’s never expected, but the work, effort and focus was to do this (win the title). I get to work with the team every day, so I was just waiting for them to do their job, and that’s what they did today.”
Again playing without the services of sophomores Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, today’s decision was never in question, as junior forward Kailey Utley scored her third goal on the weekend in the 19th minute and put the Mountaineers in the driver’s seat for good. Redshirt-freshman forward Amandine Pierre-Louis added two second-half goals, her first career scores in Big 12 play and the first two-goal performance of her career.
“Amandine – unbelievable. She had to make some adjustments coming into this season, and it was good to see her finish her chances today,” said Izzo-Brown.
WVU finished with a 12-8 edge in shots, including a dominant 8-1 showing in the first half. The squad also finished with a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Hannah Steadman made one save for the win. The Sooners’ (8-7-3, 2-4-1) Kaitlyn Fahrner finished with three saves, all in the first half.
Utley’s score, her third straight goal for the Mountaineers, came on WVU’s sixth shot of the match. With the ball in the corner, Pierre-Louis broke free from two OU defenders and sent a cross into the box. The Sooners’ clearance failed, and Utley jumped on the chance, sending her shot past Fahrner near post.
“I wanted to keep rolling from Friday night, and fortunately I was able to get on the end of a goal early” said Utley. “This is exciting. It’s our goal every year to win championships. Now that we have the Big 12 regular-season title, we can turn our attention to Baylor and the Big 12 Tournament. It was awesome to get this win in front of our fans in our pink game.”
The goal puts Utley’s point total at a team-best 15 (5 G, 5 A).
Pierre-Louis added two second-half insurance goals within a span of eight minutes. The first, the eventual game-winner, came in the 75th minute off a contested shot from outside the 18-yard box that deflected off Fahrner and hit the near post.
On a breakaway, Fahrner attempted to challenge Pierre-Louis’ second goal in the 83rd minute, but she misplayed the ball and it bounced over her body and sailed toward the net. The Quebec, Montreal, native easily finished the chance and pushed her season goal total to three.
Pierre-Louis is the fifth different Mountaineer this season to score two goals in one game.
“Today was a big deal for me because these are my first goals scored in a Big 12 game,” said Pierre-Louis. “I did whatever I could for the team win.”
The Sooners added a goal in the 87th minute. Midfielder Emily Bowman received a ball from Shiloh Price and beat Steadman from 20-yards out to the far post.
Senior forward Kate Schwindel nearly gave WVU the lead in the ninth minute, as she received a ball from freshman Michaela Abam near the top of the box while streaking toward the net. Fahrner went to her knees and batted the chance away, resulting in the Mountaineers’ first corner of the contest.
Schwindel and Utley finished with a game-best three shots, and each placed two on-frame.
Of note, today was the Mountaineers’ annual “Pink Match” for breast cancer research and awareness. The team presented a check for $10,374 to Morgantown’s Betty Puskar Breast Care Center at halftime. WVU has raised more than $100,000 for breast cancer research over the last 11 years.
WVU closes out its regular-season slate against Baylor on Friday, Oct. 31, at DDSS, at 7 p.m. It is “Senior Night,” and Schwindel, defender Jess Crowder, midfielder Ali Connelly and goalkeeper Katie Osterman will be honored before first kick. Fans will be admitted for free, courtesy of United Bank. Youth fans are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and attend Trunk or Treat in the Coliseum band parking lot starting at 5:30 p.m.
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