West Virginia women’s soccer scored a program-record nine goals as they beat Saint Francis (Pa.) 9-0 on Sunday.
After falling 2-0 in their season opener to No. 4 Duke on Thursday, West Virginia (1-1) women’s soccer bounced back in a big way, routing Saint Francis as nine different players found the back of the net.
“It was a tale of two halves against Duke,” West Virginia head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “We knew that we had to continue that hunt for consistency and execution and that was obviously something we were able to do today.”
The Mountaineers had their home opener delayed by about 30 minutes, but that didn’t bother them at all.
It started in the 12th minute as AJ Rodriguez scored from inside the box to put WVU ahead 1-0. It would take just about four minutes of play until WVU found the back of the net with Dilary Heredia-Beltran cashing in after she came just short on multiple opportunities against the Blue Devils Thursday.
The Mountaineers added one more goal in the first half as Maddie Moreau scored on a header from Lily McCarthy, putting West Virginia up 3-0 heading into halftime.
The Mountaineers would not miss a beat in the second half, picking up right where they left off in the first.
Eight minutes into the second half, Maya McCutcheon added her first goal of the season, after she was able to be in the right place at the right time near the goal, putting the Mountaineers ahead 4-0.
West Virginia scored again in the 59th minute off the foot of sophomore Taylor White as she scored her first-career goal in a WVU uniform.
The Mountaineers would not score again until the 72nd minute, but would score twice more in the next 10 minutes, pushing their lead to 8-0. The goal scorers included sophomore Emily Thompson (72′), freshman Jordyn Wilson (77′), and sophomore Natalie Zibinskas (82′).
Fifth-year senior Julianne Vallerand added one more goal for good measure in the 89th minute, putting the Mountaineers final tally at nine goals on the afternoon.
In total, West Virginia’s offense accumulated 33 shots, and 18 shots on goal.
WVU was also solid on the defensive end, as Saint Francis did not register one shot or shot on goal. WVU used three goalkeepers in the victory, with Kayza Massey playing the first half, while Mackenzie Smith and Kassidy Roshong split time in the second half.
This was the first time the Mountaineers had allowed no shots on goal since Sept. 12, 2021 — also against Saint Francis. WVU’s nine goals were the most scored ever in a match, and the most since they scored eight against Villanova on Sept. 6, 2015.
“We know how important getting the clean sheet is,” Izzo-Brown said.
West Virginia returns to the pitch on Thursday as they host rival Penn State at 5 p.m. from Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
