PRINCETON, N.J. (September 17, 2017) – The No. 6-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team earned a win in its nonconference finale, defeating La Salle, 1-0, this afternoon at Princeton’s Richmond Stadium.
A penalty kick by senior forward Michaela Abam in the 20th minute would go down as the game-winner, as she connected on her second free chance of the season to push the Mountaineers’ win streak to three.
The Mountaineer defense did its part to earn the team’s third straight clean sheet, denying the Explorers (5-3-1) a look on-frame. La Salle is the third opponent this year, and the second in as many games, to fail to earn a shot on-goal against the WVU defense.
“Credit to La Salle, they had a good scout on us,” Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “We know teams are going to come out and play us hard, and we need to do a better job with that moving forward. Getting two wins on the road is huge.
“Any time you disallow a team a shot on-goal, you know you’re closing gaps and not allowing any windows to strike balls. I’m proud of the way the backline handled itself in a tight game like this.”
The shutout is the Mountaineers’ sixth of the season, all credited to sophomore Rylee Foster.
The Mountaineers finished with a 28-2 shot advantage, and La Salle’s Larisa Zambelli made four stops. WVU also earned a 3-0 edge in corner kicks.
A free kick opportunity set-up the Mountaineers’ (7-2) game-winner. Senior midfielder Carla Portillo sent the ball toward the far right post. As Abam jumped for the ball, she was pushed by an Explorer defender. The whistle awarded the Houston native her second penalty kick of the season, and she easily connected for her third goal and game-winner of the year.
“That poor kid was getting pulled down all game long,” Izzo-Brown added. “They were grabbing her jersey and throwing her to the ground. It was a tough game for Michaela, and I felt bad for her, but at the end of the day she put one on the board, and that’s all that matters.”
Abam now shows 35 career goals and sits alone at No. 5 on the WVU all-time career list. Her career point total moves to 85 (35 G, 15 A), and she is tied with Laura Kane (2001-04) and Blake Miller (2008-11) at No. 7 in the Mountaineer record book.
Junior Sh’Nia Gordon looked to give WVU a one-goal advantage in the seventh minute. After making a move on a La Salle defender, the shifty forward had a free look at the net from 25-yards out. She sent a lofting shot in, but it skimmed the crossbar and went out.
With the lead in the 37th minute, sophomore Jade Gentile sent a great cross into freshman Lauren Segalla. Posted in front of the net, Segalla turned, but her shot through two Explorer defenders was stopped by Zambelli.
WVU retained possession for the majority of the second half and almost pushed its lead to two goals just 10 minutes in, as Gordon found herself on the end of a cross from junior Bianca St. Georges. She took an immediate low shot wide left of the penalty line, but it slammed off the far post.
Looking for the equalizer with under 20 to play, the Explorers had their best chance of the match. Midfielder Kristin Haugstad snuck behind the WVU backline and pushed toward the net. With a one-on-one situation against Foster, Mountaineer defender Vanessa Flores recovered and poked the ball away from Haugstad within the six-yard box.
Seniors Amandine Pierre-Louis and Heather Kaleiohi nearly connected for the insurance goal in the 84th minute. From the end line, Pierre-Louis sent the ball toward the right post. Kaleiohi ran up on it, but her shot from the inside of her foot from six-yards went wide.
Abam paced the field with nine shots. Five different Mountaineers earned one shot on-goal.
The Mountaineers open the defense of their five straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles at Baylor on Friday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. EST, at Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco, Texas.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
A penalty kick by senior forward Michaela Abam in the 20th minute would go down as the game-winner, as she connected on her second free chance of the season to push the Mountaineers’ win streak to three.
The Mountaineer defense did its part to earn the team’s third straight clean sheet, denying the Explorers (5-3-1) a look on-frame. La Salle is the third opponent this year, and the second in as many games, to fail to earn a shot on-goal against the WVU defense.
“Credit to La Salle, they had a good scout on us,” Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “We know teams are going to come out and play us hard, and we need to do a better job with that moving forward. Getting two wins on the road is huge.
“Any time you disallow a team a shot on-goal, you know you’re closing gaps and not allowing any windows to strike balls. I’m proud of the way the backline handled itself in a tight game like this.”
The shutout is the Mountaineers’ sixth of the season, all credited to sophomore Rylee Foster.
The Mountaineers finished with a 28-2 shot advantage, and La Salle’s Larisa Zambelli made four stops. WVU also earned a 3-0 edge in corner kicks.
A free kick opportunity set-up the Mountaineers’ (7-2) game-winner. Senior midfielder Carla Portillo sent the ball toward the far right post. As Abam jumped for the ball, she was pushed by an Explorer defender. The whistle awarded the Houston native her second penalty kick of the season, and she easily connected for her third goal and game-winner of the year.
“That poor kid was getting pulled down all game long,” Izzo-Brown added. “They were grabbing her jersey and throwing her to the ground. It was a tough game for Michaela, and I felt bad for her, but at the end of the day she put one on the board, and that’s all that matters.”
Abam now shows 35 career goals and sits alone at No. 5 on the WVU all-time career list. Her career point total moves to 85 (35 G, 15 A), and she is tied with Laura Kane (2001-04) and Blake Miller (2008-11) at No. 7 in the Mountaineer record book.
Junior Sh’Nia Gordon looked to give WVU a one-goal advantage in the seventh minute. After making a move on a La Salle defender, the shifty forward had a free look at the net from 25-yards out. She sent a lofting shot in, but it skimmed the crossbar and went out.
With the lead in the 37th minute, sophomore Jade Gentile sent a great cross into freshman Lauren Segalla. Posted in front of the net, Segalla turned, but her shot through two Explorer defenders was stopped by Zambelli.
WVU retained possession for the majority of the second half and almost pushed its lead to two goals just 10 minutes in, as Gordon found herself on the end of a cross from junior Bianca St. Georges. She took an immediate low shot wide left of the penalty line, but it slammed off the far post.
Looking for the equalizer with under 20 to play, the Explorers had their best chance of the match. Midfielder Kristin Haugstad snuck behind the WVU backline and pushed toward the net. With a one-on-one situation against Foster, Mountaineer defender Vanessa Flores recovered and poked the ball away from Haugstad within the six-yard box.
Seniors Amandine Pierre-Louis and Heather Kaleiohi nearly connected for the insurance goal in the 84th minute. From the end line, Pierre-Louis sent the ball toward the right post. Kaleiohi ran up on it, but her shot from the inside of her foot from six-yards went wide.
Abam paced the field with nine shots. Five different Mountaineers earned one shot on-goal.
The Mountaineers open the defense of their five straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles at Baylor on Friday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. EST, at Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco, Texas.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.