TUCSON, Ariz. – In the 104-degree, Arizona heat, the West Virginia University women's soccer team settled for a 1-1 draw against Arizona at Murphey Field in Tucson, Ariz., on Sunday afternoon.
 
A fantastic goal from fifth-year senior midfielder Lilly McCarthy gave the Mountaineers (8-2-2, 4-0-1 Big 12) the lead in the first half, but Arizona tied it up in the second to force the draw. Although WVU looked like it would pull ahead in the final minutes, the squad settled for the draw to remain unbeaten in league play.
 
Out of the gate, Arizona appeared to dominate the possession, firing four shots in the first 20 minutes of play. However, it was the Mountaineers who got on the board first after a corner-kick opportunity in the 24th minute. Senior defender Annika Leslie's initial service was punched out by the Wildcats, but McCarthy collected the deflection and squared up to send it in for the goal. WVU looked as if it would add another but settled for the 1-0 lead at the break.
 
Arizona unfortunately got its equalizer right out of the half, scoring in the 49th minute. From there, the teams battled, but neither found a breakthrough to earn the conference win.
 
In the final box score, Arizona outshot West Virginia 10-8, but WVU held the advantage in shots on goal, 5-3, and corner kicks, 7-6. McCarthy and senior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran led the offense with a pair of shots, while redshirt sophomore keeper Mackenzie Smith tallied two saves in the contest.
 
With the draw, West Virginia remains unbeaten all-time against the Wildcats, moving to 1-0-1 in the series between the two teams.
 
West Virginia now looks ahead to a one-game week, as it returns to Morgantown to welcome UCF to town on Friday, Oct. 4. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. It's the Mountaineers' annual Pack it Pink match, with all fans encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.