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Mountaineers Split Matches at Jamboree
April 16, 2016 06:56 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s soccer team split its matches at the George Mason Soccer Jamboree today, defeating the Washington Spirit, 3-0, and falling to American, 1-0, at the GMU Practice Fields in Fairfax, Virginia.
The Mountaineers opened the afternoon with the resounding victory over the Spirit’s reserve squad in two, 30-minute halves; Washington is a member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The squad immediately turned around and played two, 25-minute halves against American.
“I think it was good for us to challenge ourselves in two different environments today,” associate head coach Lisa Stoia said. “In the first game, we executed on our finishes and had great moments throughout the match. Possession-wise, we were very good and capitalized on our chances. The Washington Spirit reserves are very good, and they’ve been training at a high level; it was good for us to be out there and keep up with their play.
“American capitalized on one of its two chances. They worked hard and had an organized game plan. We had a few good opportunities, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net.”
In the first game, the Mountaineers dodged three shots on-goal from the Spirit, with sophomore Michelle Newhouse earning credit for the saves, before freshman forward Nia Gordon broke open the scoreless play in the 23rd minute, connecting on a through ball from sophomore forward Michaela Abam and sending her low shot to the right corner.
Owning a one-goal advantage at the onset of the second half, WVU wasted little time padding its lead, as sophomore forward Heather Kaleiohi earned a breakaway chance two minutes in and placed her shot over the outstretched arms of the Spirit goaltender for her third goal in two games. Abam was credited with the assist.
The trio of forwards nearly connected for the team’s third goal in the 44th minute. After beating a defender, Kaleiohi played the ball to Abam, who then slipped it to Gordon for a one-on-one, but the Spirit’s goalkeeper made a stop and denied Gordon a chance.
Three minutes later, sophomore forward Amandine Pierre-Louis put the score at 3-0, ripping a shot from 20-yards out that bounced off the crossbar and into the back of the net.
American immediately challenged the Mountaineers in the second game, earning a corner four minutes into the match. The Eagles placed the ball close to the frame, but Newhouse came through with a punch out.
The Mountaineers were not as fortunate six minutes later, as the ball bounced into play off an American corner kick and found the foot of an Eagle, who connected on a one-time shot.
Abam nearly evened the score in the 16th minute, heading in a free kick near the right hash, but the Eagle goalkeeper was able to make the save.
Trailing the Eagles seven minutes into the second half, Gordon received the ball from freshman midfielder Patricia Fernandez and charged the Eagle goaltender, but her shot went high off the crossbar.
Abam had her own chance in the 40th minute. Freshman defender Hannah Abraham took the ball down the line before sending a cross in, but Abam’s shot was stopped by the Eagles.
“Today was a good challenge for us, and now we need to focus on what we need to do to become sharper and better,” Stoia concluded. “We’re going to keep focusing on our chances in front of the goal, and we look forward to having another opportunity to get better.”
The Mountaineers conclude their spring season against Ohio State on Saturday, April 23, at 1 p.m., at Dreamswork Field.
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