MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 1-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team celebrated its 2016 Big 12 Conference regular-season championship in winning fashion tonight, scoring three second-half goals and defeating Oklahoma State, 3-0, in front of 2,048 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

 

With their 12th clean sheet of the season, the Mountaineers (16-1-1, 8-0) did what no other team before them could, as they are the first squad in Big 12 history to pitch a season shutout in league play.

 

WVU is the second program and third team to finish Big 12 play unbeaten and untied. Dating back to 2014, the squad also is unbeaten in its last 23 Big 12 matches. Tonight's win moves the Mountaineers' home unbeaten streak in conference games to 34, the third-longest active streak in the nation.  

 

“We've never, ever had the trophy in Morgantown and had the opportunity to celebrate like we did tonight,” Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “It was awesome. The fans came out, and this was great to celebrate with them.”

 

Though the Mountaineers earned a 15-0 edge in shots in the first half, they failed to finish, stopped by the post, the crossbar and OSU goalkeeper Michela Ongaro.

 

Undeterred, WVU quickly opened the scoring in the second half, as sophomore forward Sh'Nia Gordon connected on her fifth shot of the match in the 49th minute. From there, the Mountaineers cruised, with insurance goals following in the 76th and 81st minutes.  

 

“We were off a step in the first half, but the team came together and realized it needed to adjust to what OSU was doing to us,” Izzo-Brown said. “I thought the team did a great job adjusting and finding the back of the net. Our passing was crisper, our movement was better and we got better looks.”

 

The Mountaineers finished with a 26-4 edge in shots, with the WVU defense denying OSU (9-7-3, 3-4-1) a first-half attempt. The Cowgirls made seven saves, six credited to Ongaro, while Mountaineer freshman Rylee Foster stopped one for her 12th win of the season.

 

OSU is the seventh Big 12 team this year to finish with two or fewer shots on-goal against the WVU defense. Senior forward Courtney Dike, the conference's leading point earner and goal scorer, was denied a shot tonight.

 

“I thought Easther (Mayi Kith) and Keisha (Kadeisha Buchanan) were incredible on (Dike),” Izzo-Brown explained. “We did not want to give her any time or space to turn – she is so, so deadly when she turns. I thought Easther and Keish did a great job pressure-covering every time she got the ball. Most importantly, she didn't see the net.”

 

Gordon's goal, her fourth of the season, came off the Mountaineers' fourth corner kick of the night. Junior Carla Portillo sent the ball in, and classmate Michaela Abam quickly flicked it across the line to Gordon, who finished off her back foot near the far right post.

 

WVU earned an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.

 

Sophomore forward Grace Cutler gave the Mountaineers a two-goal advantage in the 76th minute off a beautiful pass from senior midfielder Ashley Lawrence. The Toronto native beat several OSU defenders en route to the end line. She then timed her ball to meet Cutler as she crashed the near left post, and the Fort Collins, Colorado, native placed her shot away from Ongaro's hands.

 

The assist is the 25th career helper for Lawrence, and she continues to rank No. 4 in program history. She and Portillo each show a team-best six helpers on the year. Abam's assist on the game-winner was her fourth of the year, and she paces WVU with 20 points (8 G, 4 A).

 

The night ended with a memorable Mountaineer goal, as senior midfielder Ashley Woolpert connected on a free kick from 28-yards out for her first career score. A native of Springboro, Ohio, Woolpert has tallied all five career points (1 G, 3 A) this season.

 

The Cowgirls' best chance came in the 70th minute, as forward Marlo Zoller worked the ball into the middle of the box before letting a shot rip from high. Foster dropped to her knees for the save.

 

A misplayed ball by OSU in the fifth minute looked like a good early opportunity for WVU. Sophomore defender Bianca St. Georges sent the ball in, and Ongaro left her line to challenge as a Cowgirl defender headed it up. The ball fell behind the duo and at the feet of junior forward Heather Kaleiohi, but her close-range shot went high over the crossbar.

 

Gordon had a clean look in the 19th minute wide of the penalty line, but her shot cruelly smacked off the left post and out of play. Twenty-one minutes later, Gordon spun with the ball inside the box, but after confusing multiple Cowgirl defenders, her shot from five-yards out was caught at the right post by Ongaro.

 

Gordon paced the field with six shots, three on-frame.

 

With the win, WVU improves to 7-0 all-time against OSU. This evening's match was the first in the series not decided by one goal.

 

Of note, the Mountaineers honored their 2016 senior class – Woolpert, Lawrence and defenders Carly Black and Kadeisha Buchanan – prior to first kick tonight.

 

“The regular season is over with, and I couldn't be more pleased with how we've developed,” Izzo-Brown said. “Obviously, I always want a perfect game of 90 minutes of excellent soccer, but overall I'm very pleased with how we've developed and come together as a team. We have great senior leadership and team captains who have really pushed this team. Now, it's postseason, and it's the most important part of our year. We've learned our lessons, and now we have to apply them and play our best soccer.”

 

Seeded No. 1 for the fifth straight season, the Mountaineers now turn their attention to the 2016 Big 12 Soccer Championship. WVU opens play against No. 8 seed Texas Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 12:30 p.m. ET, at Swope Soccer Village, in Kansas City, Missouri. The Mountaineers earned a 1-0 win over the Red Raiders on Oct. 14.

 

Swope Soccer Village - Kansas City

 

 

No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Texas Tech, 12:30 p.m. ET

No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 3 p.m. ET

No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 7 TCU, 5:30 p.m. ET

No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State, 9 p.m. ET

 

Wednesday Afternoon Winners, 5:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday Evening Winners, 8 p.m. ET

 

Semifinal Winners, 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1