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Mountaineers Split Day in Tennessee
April 24, 2017 04:27 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s soccer team split a pair of matches at Tennessee’s Regal Soccer Stadium on April 22, falling, 1-0, to the Volunteers, and defeating Alabama, 4-0.
“It was a good challenge for us to play two teams back-to-back, as it forced us into adjusting to different styles of play,” associate head coach Lisa Stoia said. “Once we made adjustments and found the momentum in both games, I felt our team did a good job creating chances to score. It was a good, competitive environment for both games, and we found a lot of success but also areas where we can improve.”
The Volunteers broke scoreless play with just over five minutes remaining in the day’s first match, scoring off a corner kick.
Freshman Rylee Foster offset the allowed goal with five saves, including four in the first half.
“Rylee was the MVP of game one,” Stoia said. “She played really well.”
Forwards Michaela Abam and Grace Cutler nearly connected for a score late in the first half. Abam’s initial shot was deflected by the UT goalkeeper, and Cuter pounced on the rebound, but her shot bounced off the post and out of play.
Sophomore forward Sh’Nia Gordon tallied three quality chances against the Volunteers, including a shot with 28 minutes remaining in the second half which skimmed the right post.
The Mountaineers bounced back against the Crimson Tide, scoring four second-half goals for the shut-out win.
“Our team stepped up to the challenge in the second game by finding ways to be more focused and effective in the final third, which allowed us to finish our opportunities,” Stoia added. “It was really important for our team to get a shutout against Alabama. Rylee was incredible and made some key saves.
“We had a lot of takeaways from the day, and we will continue to work on our development as we embark on our final week of spring training.”
Four different Mountaineers tallied goals against the Crimson Tide. Junior midfielder Alli Magaletta broke the team’s scoring drought with a header in the 68th minute.
Just four minutes later, sophomore midfielder Amanda Saymon finished a ball from junior midfielder Carla Portillo near the top of the box.
Sophomore forward Hannah Abraham added the third goal with 13 minutes remaining, receiving the ball in the box from Abam.
Cutler connected with Gordon two minutes later for the final score, beating two defenders before slotting the ball for a one-time finish.
Foster was forced to preserve the shutout in the 83rd minute, pushing the ball away from the crossbar following an Alabama corner kick.
The Mountaineers close their spring slate with a match at Duquesne on Saturday, April 29, with first kick at Rooney Field set for 3 p.m.
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