MORGANTOWN — In its first overtime contest of the season, the No.18-ranked WVU women’s soccer team played to a 0-0, double overtime draw with No. 24 Georgetown on Thursday evening at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The Mountaineers (3-2-1) created eight corner kick opportunities, all coming in the second half, but couldn’t manage to find the back of the net for the second consecutive match. Georgetown (2-0-4), playing in its fourth overtime match of the campaign, fought off the WVU attack for much of the contest, as West Virginia outshot the Hoyas 10-5, including 9-1 in the final 65 minutes of the 110-minute match.
“We talked a lot this week about the journey of a college soccer season, and it’s always going to be tough,” WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “Fighting for a shutout was really important, and the effort that was given tonight was really important. Now, it’s just the hunt for the goals. As everyone probably felt, there were some really big moments. We’re knocking on the door, but now we just have to finish.”
The two teams were quiet to begin the match, with the Mountaineers and Hoyas tallying just one shot apiece by the 25-minute mark of the first half. While the West Virginia offense was unable to place a shot on frame in the first half, junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey came up with a pair of key saves to keep the match scoreless at the half. At the 32:53 mark, Massey dove right to get her hands on a Hoya shot from just outside the 18. The Ottawa, Ontario, native then made a huge leap with under five minutes left to send GU’s header shot over the crossbar.
It was the second half where the Mountaineer offense really broke open, creating one opportunity after another to try to open the scoring. Junior defender Julianne Vallerand gave WVU a good look early, taking a well-placed cross from redshirt senior forward Lauren Segalla, but it was narrowly stopped by Georgetown keeper Allie Augur.
From there, the Mountaineers’ chances continued to look bright, as they created five corner kick opportunities in a span of less than 10 minutes. However, the home team continued to be denied by the visitors’ tough defensive front. Junior midfielder Maya McCutcheon added a last-ditch effort for WVU as the clock neared 90, but she was unable to get it past Augur and the game went into overtime.
In the first overtime period, WVU maintained control of the possession, but continued to be denied in the finish. McCutcheon tallied the Mountaineers’ lone shot in the first overtime, but her header was high. With just 10 minutes remaining to decide a winner, the Hoyas upped their aggression, taking over the possession and making Massey and WVU’s back line fight for the draw and eventual clean sheet. Despite two more Mountaineer attempts from junior midfielder Juliana Lynch and senior defender Jordan Brewster, the match ended with a 0-0 draw.
On the night, WVU led Georgetown, 8-4, in corner kicks and 10-5 in shots, while the squads each placed two shots on goal. The West Virginia offense was once again led by Vallerand, WVU’s season leader in shots, as she tallied four shots in the match. McCutcheon and Lynch also added a pair of shots apiece. Six Mountaineers played all 110 minutes of tonight’s contest, while two others recorded 90 or more on Thursday night. Massey also notched a pair of saves in her third clean sheet of the year.
Of note, Thursday’s overtime match marked West Virginia’s first overtime contest of the season, as well as its first since tallying a 1-1 draw at No. 12 Virginia on April 10, 2021. WVU is 30-20-57 all-time in overtime games.
The Mountaineers return to action on Sunday to conclude their four-game homestand with a match against Saint Francis (Pa.). Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
