KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A pair of first half goals were the difference as the West Virginia women’s soccer team fell to No. 25 Kansas 2-0 in the first round of the Big 12 Soccer Championship on Sunday.
“It was a tough one today,” Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “All of the credit goes to Kansas. They were able to finish their corner kicks and we had some really good chances that we couldn’t convert.”
The Jayhawks (13-4-3) struck first in the 17th minute as WVU senior goalkeeper Rylee Foster deflected a shot that landed at the feet of KU senior forward Katie McClure. McClure sent the ball just inside the left post to give Kansas a 1-0 lead.
Kansas doubled the lead in the 30th minute after Isabella Cavalcante capitalized on a failed clearance from the Mountaineers and put the ball past a diving Foster.
The Mountaineers (10-7-2) were forced to play defense for much the remainder of the first half, as WVU trailed 7-3 in shots through the first 45 minutes.
The two teams were held scoreless in the second half thanks to a great effort by Foster, who registered four saves in the final period. The Mountaineers earned their best chance on goal in the 77th minute as sophomore midfielder Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel sent a header on net, but it was cleared by a KU defender.
Foster finished the match with six saves and freshman forward Enzi Broussard paced the Mountaineers with three shots.
WVU led KU in corner kicks but could not find the back of the net on one, while both of KU’s goals came on a corner kick. The Jayhawks outshot the Mountaineers 14-8 and held an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal.
West Virginia will learn its NCAA tournament fate Nov. 11, as the Selection Show will be streamed at 4:30 p.m. on ncaa.com.
