No. 12 West Virginia shuts out Duquesne, 3-0

From WVU and Duquesne Athletic Department reports

Scoring three goals in its second-straight game, the No.12-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team tallied its second win in three days, beating Duquesne, 3-0, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown on Sunday night.

“Better passing efficiency was something we really talked about and really wanted to see from the team today,” WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “We had better purpose with our possession tonight and were able to take care of the ball. We did well with that last week against Virginia, so that was something we have to do in order to be a better team.”

Despite an hour-long weather delay that held off the start of the match, the Mountaineers (2-1) didn’t allow the postponement to slow them down on the way to victory.

Duquesne managed to withstand the Mountaineers’ pressure and kept the game scoreless for the first 33 minutes of the contest. Although WVU managed to break the tie with a goal by Isabella Sibley in the 34^th-minute, Duquesne headed into halftime with only a 1-0 deficit.

Duquesne goalkeeper Megan Virgin (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) made four stops in net and allowed the Dukes to remain within striking distance throughout the match.

The first goal of the night didn’t come until the 33:21 mark off the boot of senior midfielder Isabella Sibley, but WVU dominated possession for the majority of the contest, allowing just three Duquesne (1-1-1) shots.

West Virginia added two more scores in the second half from junior midfielder/defender Juliana Lynch and junior midfielder Aaliyah Scott. Scott’s goal marked the first of her career, while Lynch’s score was her first since Oct. 17, 2019, against Oklahoma State during her freshman campaign. Sibley’s goal was credited as the game winner, the second of her career.

The Mountaineer attack started early, with freshman forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran tallying a trio of shots, placing two on goal, before the 25-minute mark. Sibley score was next, getting WVU on the board in the 34th minute. Freshman forward/midfielder Leah Sparacio beat the Duquesne defender to a 50/50 ball and, dribbling inside the 6-yard box, back-heeled it to Sibley for the goal.

 Riding a one-goal advantage out of the half, WVU didn’t waste time adding to its lead. On a corner kick opportunity, senior defender Jordan Brewster took the kick and sent a well-placed ball right into the 6-yard box. Lynch got a head on it just above the goal line and bounced it past the unsuspecting keeper. From there, the Mountaineers continued to play keep-away, allowing just one Duquesne shot in the second half.

Scott sealed the victory for West Virginia at the 66:13 mark, dribbling around the Dukes’ defenders and into the box until she had the look she wanted. She took the shot from the corner of the goal area and placed it in the top center, out of reach of Duquesne keeper Megan Virgin.

West Virginia dominated every statistical category, leading the Dukes 19-3 in shots and 7-2 in shots on goal. The Mountaineers tallied 13 corner kicks in the contest, while Duquesne had zero. Junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey came up with a pair of saves in the first half, but she wasn’t called upon again for the remainder of the game. Virgin tallied four saves for the Dukes. The Mountaineers also record their second shutout of the season in the win.

With the victory, West Virginia moves to 10-0-2 all-time against Duquesne, along with 10-0-1 in games played in Morgantown.