Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's soccer team earned a near-perfect win tonight, denying Boston University a shot in a 4-0 victory at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
The Mountaineers (3-2-3) tallied a pair of goals in each half, and sophomore midfielder Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel registered her first career brace in WVU's best offensive showing of the 2018 season.
 
"We hit posts and crossbars, and balls were bouncing out, but at the end of the day I think this team is really focused. They've realized that everyone needs to do their jobs, and they've been giving extra effort and being brave around the 18," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "I think you can see that everyone has been a little more sharp when it comes to finishing. Tonight, it finally happened for us, and we were able to get four."
 
The Terriers (1-7-1) are the first opponent this year to not register a shot against the Mountaineer defense and the eighth opponent in program history. WVU, who earned its third clean sheet of the season, has held its last four opponents to 23 combined shots.
 
"Tonight just speaks to our defensive mentality and what we bring collectively, defensively," Izzo-Brown said. "If you look at our back four, we have great senior leadership. I was thrilled with what our backline did."
 
The Mountaineers' four-goal effort is the team's highest single-game goal total since earning a 4-0 win over Iowa State on Oct. 13, 2017, at Dick Dlesk Stadium.
 
Ferrer-vanGinkel sparked WVU's offensive onslaught in the 27th minute, chasing a thru ball from sophomore forward Lauren Segalla into the box. With BU's Morgan Messner off her line, Ferrer-vanGinkel swiftly placed her ball toward the far-right pocket.
 
The goal, Ferrer-vanGinkel's first career game-winner, was WVU's quickest point of the 2018 season.
 
Freshman forward Alina Stahl pushed the lead to two goals in the 42nd minute off a give-and-go from senior defender Amanda Saymon. With the ball just inside the box, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native sent a lofting shot toward the frame. The ball smacked off the far-left post before bouncing behind the line.
 
The goal was the first career score for Stahl, and the assist was the first career point for Saymon, who also earned her first career starting nod tonight.
 
A great individual effort by senior forward Sh'Nia Gordon quickly gave WVU a 3-0 lead in the second half. Off a WVU throw-in in the 54th minute, Gordon quickly beat her defender wide before splitting two Terriers near the end line. Alone with the ball at the edge of the six-yard box, she slipped her shot around BU's Amanda Fay, who started the second half in net, for her first goal of the season.
 
With the score, Gordon pushed her team-best career goal count to 17.
 
Ferrer-vanGinkel iced the game in the 58th minute, connecting on a penalty kick, the Mountaineers' second of the season. The opportunity was earned after senior forward Hannah Abraham was pulled down inside the box.
 
Ferrer-vanGinkel is the first Mountaineer to tally two goals in one match since All-American Michaela Abam scored a pair in WVU's 3-0 win over Bucknell in the 2017 NCAA Tournament First Round on Nov. 11, at DDSS.
 
WVU tallied 27 shots this evening and forced three BU goalkeepers into eight saves. The Mountaineers also earned 10 corner kicks.
 
Not forced into action tonight, junior Rylee Foster and sophomore Kayla Thompson split time in net.
 
Senior midfielder Grace Cutler was robbed by the post early in the match. The Mountaineers' first corner kick of the night was perfectly placed in the box. Wide of the penalty line, Cutler's shot off the side of her foot slammed off the left post and nearly bounced into the net before going out of play.
 
The crossbar helped Messner stop another chance from Cutler in the 25th minute, as her header off the team's third corner kick was denied near the edge of the frame.
 
In total, three WVU chances were stopped by the frame this evening, including second-half looks from sophomore midfielder Lois Joel and freshman forward Lizzie Mayfield.

Cutler paced the field with five shots, while Stahl placed a game-high three shots on-goal.
 
Tonight's win was WVU's first over the Terriers, and the Mountaineers move to 1-0-1 in the all-time series.
 
The Mountaineers close their nonconference slate against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday, Sept. 16, at 1 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. It's Youth Soccer Day, and fans who wear a youth soccer jersey will earn free admittance. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a WVU jersey koozie, and a free postgame clinic for children ages 13 and under will follow the match.