MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Virginia forward Diana Ordonez scored on a header in the seventh minute and No. 4 Virginia recorded its sixth-straight shutout dating back to last season to knock off No. 12 West Virginia on Sunday at Dick Dlesk Stadium.
Despite a nearly identical final box score, the Mountaineers (1-1-0) were unable to overcome Virginia (2-0-0).
WVU junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey showed off her talent late in the second half to help the WVU defense limit the Cavaliers opportunities, but West Virginia couldn’t find the equalizer on the offensive side of the pitch.
“I thought we came out strong in the second half, but with a team like Virginia, you need to play 90 minutes consistently,” WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull it together, but I really believe that our midfield was able to adjust well in the second half and did a good job of limiting Virginia’s chances.”
The Cavaliers struck early, as Ordonez took a high cross from teammate Samar Guidry to head the ball toward the back post and past Massey’s outstretched hand.
Forced to play from behind for the majority of the match, the Mountaineers struggled to maintain possession in the first half, with their only shot coming off the boot of sophomore Lilly McCarthy at the 36:23 mark.
West Virginia’s attack gained momentum in the second half though, as it created chances in the final third and continued to fight for possession.
A pair of Mountaineer defenders tallied shots on target, the first from junior Julianne Vallerand in the 64th minute and the second from Gabrielle Robinson in the 79th, but both opportunities were stopped short by UVA keeper Laurel Ivory.
Massey’s impressive effort in the second half helped WVU stay just one goal back, as she showed off her athleticism to disrupt the Cavaliers attack. After getting her hand on a pair of UVA through balls, she also tallied a pair of important saves as the minutes ticked off the clock.
Despite the match’s result, the final box score showed a very even contest, with Virginia narrowly edging WVU in shots (4-3), shots on goal (3-2) and corner kicks (6-5).
Massey and UVA’s Ivory notched a pair of saves each, with the biggest difference being Virginia’s early goal to seal the win.
The Mountaineers now fall to 4-12-3 all-time against the Cavaliers, including a 3-4-1 mark in matches played in Morgantown.
West Virginia now prepares for its first road contest of the season, as it travels to Lewisburg, Pa., to face Bucknell at 7 p.m. Friday at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.
