MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s soccer team picked up its first win of the season with a dominating, 5-1 win over Saint Joseph’s at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon in Morgantown.
Five different Mountaineers found the back of the net Sunday, including three first-time scorers. Despite struggling to find the tie until the final minutes of the first half, West Virginia (1-0-1, 0-0 Big 12) found its offensive spark in the second half. The team scored four goals in the second period, including a pair of double-doubles in the first five minutes of the game.
Senior midfielder/defender Maddie Moreausmall midfielder Chloe Adler and freshman forward Emily Thompson scored the first goals in Alpinisti’s career on Sunday, while the small midfielder AJ Rodriguez and sophomore forward Rhea of Kiev also found the back of the net.
While West Virginia’s offense finally found its rhythm, it took nearly 40 minutes of the first half to find the team’s first field goal of the season. After a series of missed chances, Kijowski finally gave the Highlanders the spark they needed in the 39th minute. Second progress Aria Bilal took the ball to the right wing and served a beautiful pass to Kijowski, whose quick touch went through the keeper’s legs and into the net.
The score was 1-0 going into halftime, but WVU started to add just two minutes into the second half. The Highlanders took a corner kick in the 47th minute and the senior midfielder Maya McCutcheon’s the ensuing rush was saved by SJU’s defense. However, Moreau was there to pounce on the rebound to give WVU a 2-0 lead. The Hawks took the lead just 30 seconds later on a free kick behind the keeper Kayza Massey was whistled for a foul in the box.
It didn’t take long for West Virginia’s offense to respond, as Thompson scored his first career goal just one minute later. Second progress Dilary Heredia-Beltran dribbled into the box and fed a pass to Thompson, who squared up and sent the ball over the reach of the SJU keeper.
From there, WVU didn’t back down, as Heredia-Beltran earned her second assist of the afternoon, sending a long ball to Rodriguez, who was just over the top of the 18-yard box. Rodriguez dribbled, spotted the keeper and chipped it for her first score of the year. Adler was then called upon to put the icing on the cake, successfully converting a penalty in the 79th minute to score the first goal of her career.
West Virginia’s dominance showed in the final statistics, as it outscored Saint Joseph’s 24-5, including a 16-5 advantage in shots on goal. The Highlanders also took five corner kicks on the afternoon, compared to just one for the Hawks. SJU goalkeeper Katie Cappellitti recorded 11 saves, while Massey was called upon to make four stops. Moreau’s second-half score was credited as the game-winner, the first of her WVU career.
Notably, WVU’s 16 shots on goal are the most by a team since it last played Saint Joseph, tallying 15 at SJU on March 7, 2021. WVU now moves to 2-0 all-time against the Hawks .
Additionally, a pair of Highlanders recorded their first career action in a Gold and Blue uniform on Sunday afternoon as midfielders. Iman Mustafa AND Natalie Zibinskas came out on the field for the first time.
The Highlanders now prepare for their first road trip of the season as they travel to state no. 14 of Penn State on Thursday, August 25th. Kickoff at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pennsylvania, is scheduled for 6:00 PM ET.
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