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LUBBOCK, Texas — The ninth-ranked West Virginia women’s soccer team earned a 2-1 win at Texas Tech on Friday night at John Walker Soccer Complex.
A pair of second-half goals propelled the Mountaineers to their fourth win of the season, as sophomore defender/forward Julianne Vallerand and senior midfielder Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel each found the back of the net.
“This is one of the toughest venues to play in in the Big 12,” WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “(Texas Tech) was a team that brought so much intensity, so I was really proud of the way we matched that and also came away with two finishes.
“We thought we had a couple of really good looks at the net. We’re creating them, now we just have to finish them. But the important piece is creating them.”
WVU (4-1, 4-1 Big 12) wasted no time getting its offense going in the road affair. Ferrer-vanGinkel tallied the match’s first shot in the fifth minute, a bouncing ball that was saved by the Red Raider goalkeeper. From there, sophomore midfielder Juliana Lynch sent a dangerous ball into the box off a free kick in the 28th minute, but no Mountaineers were close enough to make a play.
Moments later, sophomore goalkeeper Kayza Massey, who made her 2020 debut in the win, logged her lone save of the evening, as she shut down a TTU shot headed towards the near post.
West Virginia tallied five corner kicks in the first half but returned to the locker room in a scoreless tie at the break.
Vallerand got the action started in the second half by putting the Mountaineers on the board in the 47th minute. After a nice run into the corner of the box, Vallerand found the back of the net, despite the attempt being tipped by the Red Raider goalkeeper, to make it 1-0. Junior midfielder Isabella Sibley was credited with the assist.
“We knew we needed to put one away at the start of the second half,” Izzo-Brown said. “Obviously, Julianne did a great job to come away with that finish.”
WVU continued its offensive pressure throughout much of the second half. In the 61st minute, junior forward Alina Stahl rocketed a shot on goal, before freshman midfielder Lilly McCarthy sent one just high in the 71st. Then, junior midfielder Addison Clark nearly doubled West Virginia’s lead in the 79th when her shot attempt got through traffic but deflected off a TTU defender and the post to keep it a one-goal match.
The Mountaineers were able to extend the lead in the 82nd minute when Ferrer-vanGinkel registered her team-leading third goal of the year off a loose ball inside the box. On a play originally started by junior defender Jordan Brewster, Ferrer-vanGinkel scored off a Stahl deflection for the 2-0 lead. Brewster and Stahl each earned helpers on Ferrer-vanGinkel’s eventual game-winning goal.
Texas Tech (0-2-2, 0-2-2 Big 12) cut it to 2-1 with a goal in the 88th minute but couldn’t draw any closer. WVU outshot Tech, 15-2, on the night, including 8-2 in shots on goal. WVU also matched a season high with 10 corner kicks, to Texas Tech’s three.
Stahl led the way with four shots in the win, while Vallerand and Ferrer-vanGinkel each tallied three.
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