MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 6-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team was too much for Saint Francis this afternoon, as the Mountaineers overcame a rare first-half deficit and defeated the Red Flash, 3-1, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Sophomore forward
Sh'Nia Gordon put forth a career-best effort in the win, tallying two goals, including the first-half equalizer, on nine shots, a single-game best.
"Sh'Nia's job is to finish," Mountaineer coach
Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "She was a bit frustrated after Friday night's game, so I was proud she was able to finish and find the two goals."
Senior defender
Kadeisha Buchanan came off the bench today and proved to be difference, as she netted the game-winner in the 55th minute and helped the Mountaineer (3-0-1) backline hold SFU to just three shots, all in the first half.
"I challenged the team," Izzo-Brown said. "(At halftime), I asked them what they wanted their season to look like, and they had 45 more minutes to look the season in its face and figure it out. They responded, and I was proud of 45 minutes of play."
Junior
Michelle Newhouse earned her first career start in net and finished with one save in 90 minutes of action. SFU's Julia Hernan was pressed to make 13 saves.
WVU's offense settled in as the afternoon wore on and finished with 43 shots, the third-most in program history. The Mountaineers last registered 43 shots in a 4-2 win against St. John's on Sept. 26, 2004. Junior forward
Michaela Abam followed Gordon on the stat sheet with seven shots, a game-best four on-frame, while sophomore forward
Grace Cutler registered two.
"It's tough when you put so many numbers behind the ball; they were very compact behind the 18," Izzo-Brown said of SFU. "That net gets smaller and smaller, and those windows of opportunity get smaller and smaller. You have to give Saint Francis a lot of credit for how they came out and just really sat behind the ball all game."
WVU finished with a 9-1 edge in corner kicks.
Playing with more energy in the second half, the Mountaineers worked quickly to surge ahead on the scoreboard. The squad made the most of its second corner kick of the half, as Buchanan met the ball mid-air with her head. The shot hit off the crossbar before sneaking behind Hernan for Buchanan's first goal of the season.
SFU (0-4) surprised WVU early, as the Mountaineers fell behind for only the second time this season in the 16th minute. Midfielder Sara Suler took a shot from distance that was tipped away by Newhouse. The ball bounced back into the goal box and right to McGinnis' feet, and she easily buried her chance.
"That's called a wake-up call," Izzo-Brown said. "We knew we needed to get movement and focus. We had to bring some intensity. Saint Francis played Thursday, we played Friday, and they had a little more energy. We were not happy with our first-half performance."
Gordon earned the equalizer 14 minutes later. After receiving a ball wide from Cutler, Gordon ran toward the left post before sending a close-range shot right into Hernan's hands. Though her first chance was denied, Gordon persisted, pounced on the rebound and perfectly placed her second shot between Hernan and an SFU defender for her first score of the season.
With pace clearly in the Mountaineers' favor following Buchanan's go-ahead goal, WVU tallied many quality chances, none better than in the 66th minute. Senior midfielder
Ashley Lawrence, quick all day with her passes, took a long shot just outside the 18-yard box that bounced off the crossbar. Cutler ran up on the rebound and took a shot that was kicked away by Hernan.
Gordon capped the afternoon with her second goal in the 88th minute. Sophomore defender
Dalanda Ouendeno sent a cross in, and Lawrence won the battle for the ball, heading it toward the 12-yard line, where a waiting Gordon took one dribble before sending her shot toward the right pocket and away from Hernan's reach.
With today's win, WVU pushes its series lead to 3-0 all-time against SFU.
The Mountaineers will rest for three days before two challenging matches against opponents from the Big Ten Conference at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium next weekend. WVU opens against Purdue on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m., before meeting No. 21 Ohio State on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. Tickets for Thursday's game are just $1 each.
