MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Michaela Abam set a school record with four goals, Kailey Utley established her own mark with four assists and No. 11 West Virginia coasted past Villanova 8-0 on Sunday.
The Mountaineers (5-1) had scored eight goals in a match twice previously—during 8-0 wins against Syracuse in 2008 and St. Bonaventure in 2006. Coming off Friday night’s thrilling win over No. 5 Penn State, coach Nikki Izzo-Brown was proud her team avoided a letdown.
“It was very important for us today to protect the win from Friday night,” Izzo-Brown said. “I’m fortunate because I get to watch this team train every day. These goals aren’t surprising to me, but the game of soccer can be very brutal at times. You never know. This team has really worked hard and played smart, and they found a way to put the ball in the back of the net early. It was fantastic.”
Abam, a sophomore forward from Houston, scored two goals in each half for a program-record four scores.
“I’m really proud of Michaela,” coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “She has transformed her game. She worked really hard this summer to do the types of things she did today.”
Kayla Saager added two late goals, her first scores at WVU, while Nia Gordon and Ashley Lawrence also found the net. Maggie Bedillion chipped in two assists.
West Virginia limited the Wildcats (0-5) to three shots and only one shot on-goal. After their fifth shutout of the season, the Mountaineers have not relinquished a goal in 388 consecutive minutes of action.