MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –
The West Virginia University women's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with Liberty to wrap up nonconference play at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown on Sunday afternoon.
Despite taking a 1-0 lead with senior defender
Annika Leslie's Olimpico goal as time expired in the first half, the Mountaineers (4-2-1) allowed the Lady Flames to draw level in the 80th minute. The two teams battled to find the go-ahead score, each taking six shots in the second half, but eventually settled for the draw.
West Virginia dominated possession and fired six shots in the first half, but it didn't get on the board until the final minute of the opening frame. WVU earned a corner kick as time was expiring, and Leslie ran to the far corner to get the ball off in time. She placed a perfect ball right into the net and it was misplayed by the Liberty keeper, giving Leslie her second career Olimpico goal.
From there, the Mountaineers had the momentum going into halftime and coming into the second half, but the Lady Flames responded. After being outplayed in the first, they came back and battled WVU throughout the remaining 45 minutes. Liberty got its equalizer in the 80th minute after earning a corner kick and beating the Mountaineer defense on the reception. In the remaining 10 minutes, both teams fought for another score, but the match ended with both teams' first tie of the season.
In the final box score, West Virginia outshot Liberty, 12-8, as well as 7-3 in shots on goal. The Mountaineers earned seven corner kicks, compared to three for the Lady Flames. Redshirt sophomore keeper
Mackenzie Smith made two saves, while senior forward
Dilary Heredia-Beltran paced the offense with three shots and a pair on goal.
WVU now looks ahead to its Big 12 Conference opener on Thursday, Sept.12, as it travels to Cincinnati, Ohio, to open league play against the Bearcats. Kickoff at Gettler Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
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