MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – It took time, but in the end the No. 3-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team walked away from a physical battle against No. 23 Oklahoma with a win, as the Mountaineers defeated the Sooners, 2-0, in front of 1,973 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

 

The victory, WVU's fourth of the season over a ranked opponent, pushes the Mountaineers' home conference unbeaten streak to 32 matches, the third-longest active streak in the nation. WVU has not dropped a home conference match since losing 3-2 in overtime to No. 8 Notre Dame on Oct. 2, 2009, exactly six years ago today.

 

WVU moves to 17-0-1 in all-time home Big 12 matches and to 29-1-3 since joining the conference in 2012.

 

“We couldn't find a way to win against Georgetown two Sundays ago, and I was really proud of our grit and our grind and that we were able to learn from that lesson,” coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “I was really proud that maybe even if we didn't put forth our best performance today, we found a way to win.”

 

Though goals were hard to come by early, the Mountaineers (10-1-1, 2-0) capitalized late, as sophomore forward Hannah Abraham scored off the team's fifth corner kick of the game in the 78th minute, and junior forward Michaela Abam added an insurance goal in the 86th minute.

 

“We needed to adjust ourselves at halftime,” Izzo-Brown said. “I thought the team did a really good job understanding our focus and what everyone had to do to get her job done today. That's a great Oklahoma team. I was proud of our performance; that was a battle. Oklahoma is deserving of its ranking, and I'm proud of the way we were able to win today.”

 

The Mountaineers have now scored two or more goals in the last 15 straight home Big 12 Conference matches. WVU is the third team this season, and the first Big 12 squad, to score two or more goals against the Sooners.  

 

The WVU defense again played lights out, holding OU to nine shots, with only two landing on-frame, and three corner kicks. The shutout, credited to freshman goalkeeper Rylee Foster, her fourth career clean sheet, is the unit's second straight and sixth of the season. WVU has posted a shutout in six of its last seven Big 12 home matches.

 

“There were two teams battling today – both teams wanted to win,” Izzo-Brown noted. “You could see the emotion and the physicality from both teams because they knew what was at stake.”  

 

Victorious in the last eight straight matches, today marks the first time since Sept. 4 the Sooners (10-3-1, 3-1) have not scored at least one goal.

 

The Mountaineers finished with 17 shots, eight on-goal, and were paced by Abam's seven attempts. WVU also earned six corner kicks.

 

Sooner senior goalkeeper Kassidie Stade made six saves in the loss.

 

Needing a goal late in the game, Abraham came through with her team-best third game-winner in the 78th minute. Abam's corner kick fell to junior midfielder Alli Magaletta inside the box. She immediately headed it forward, and Abraham connected with her head in traffic, putting the ball out of Stade's reach.

 

“That goal was all (associate head coach) Lisa Stoia,” Izzo-Brown noted. “She spends so much time on set pieces. She does a great job, and the girls executed it today.”

 

Abam had a great chance at an insurance goal in the 84th minute, but her shot left of the penalty-kick line cruelly bounced off the crossbar.

 

Two minutes later, Abam made sure she gave the Mountaineers the breathing room they needed, converting on her fourth shot on-goal in the 86th minute for her team-best seventh score of the season. Junior forward Heather Kaleiohi sparked the scoring play, pushing the ball to the end line before sending it in. Junior midfielder Carla Portillo flicked the ball over to Abam, and she easily buried her chance from six-yards out toward the right pocket.

 

A native of Houston, Abam finishes the weekend with five points (2 G, 1 A) and paces the Mountaineers with 16 points (7 G, 2 A).

 

The Sooners had one last chance to cut into the Mountaineers' lead, as a whistle on Kadeisha Buchanan in the 90th minute handed OU a free kick eight-yards behind the box. Midfielder Tori Bowman had the distance, but her kick sailed high of the crossbar and out of play.

 

Knotted at 0-0 midway through the second half, senior defender Carly Black sent a brilliant ball into the box. After fighting for position in front of the net, sophomore forward Grace Cutler headed the ball in, but Stade was there for the save.  

 

Abam put Stade on her toes early, sending a long floater toward the far left post in the fifth minute that was tipped away at the last second by the OU goalkeeper. Off the ensuing corner kick, junior defender Amandine Pierre-Louis sent a cross to Abam, who charged the net with the ball but was stopped by Stade, who sprawled out near the right post for her second save.

 

The Sooners immediately pushed. Midfielder Shiloh Price snuck behind the Mountaineer backline and got a shot off near the top of the box, but Foster was there for the save. The ball wiggled loose inside the box, but the WVU defense recovered and kicked it toward the end line, where Foster corralled it for a goal kick.

 

Just seven minutes later, Abam again nearly gave WVU the first-half lead, as senior midfielder Ashley Lawrence found her on the right wing, but her low shot from 10-yards out was stopped by Stade.

 

Pierre-Louis earned her own look in the 38th minute, taking a shot wide left of the box, but Stade stopped the ball at the post.

 

Price ended the half with the Sooners' second shot on-goal, a quick attempt below the penalty-kick line. An alert Foster made the catching save, preserving the first-half shutout.

 

With the win, WVU improves to 5-0-1 all-time against OU.

 

The Mountaineers now turn their attention to their first conference road trip of the season. The squad first travels to Lawrence, Kansas, on Friday, Oct. 7, for an 8 p.m. ET match against the Jayhawks. WVU and Kansas are the only two squads not to drop a Big 12 match this season. The Mountaineers will then face Iowa State on Sunday, Oct. 9, with first kick in Ames set for 2 p.m. ET.