MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Sh’Nia Gordon scored two goals and Kadeisha Buchanan sent No. 6 West Virginia ahead in the 55th minute of Sunday’s 3-1 win over Saint Francis.
The Mountaineers (3-0-1), less than 48 hours removed from defeating No. 8 Clemson, trailed in Sunday’s first half before taking control with an astounding 43-3 edge in shots, the third-most shots in program history.
West Virginia also finished with a 9-1 edge in corner kicks as Saint Francis (0-4) packed its defense
“It’s tough when you put so many numbers behind the ball. They were very compact behind the 18,” said WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “That net gets smaller and smaller, and those windows of opportunity get smaller and smaller. You have to give Saint Francis a lot of credit for how they came out and just really sat behind the ball all game.”
After the Red Flash scored on a Shannon McGinnis rebound in the 16th minute, Gordon earned the equalizer 14 minutes later, scoring on her own rebound.
“That’s called a wake-up call,” Izzo-Brown said. “We knew we needed to get movement and focus. We had to bring some intensity. We were not happy with our first-half performance.”
Playing with more energy in the second half, the Mountaineers surged ahead when Buchanan met a corner kick in mid-air. Her header hit off the crossbar before sneaking behind keeper Julia Hernan for Buchanan’s first goal since returning from the Rio Olympics.
Gordon capped the afternoon with her second goal in the 88th minute. Dalanda Ouendeno sent in a cross in that Ashley Lawrence headed toward the 12-yard line, wheere Gordon took one dribble before sending her shot toward the right pocket.
“Sh’Nia’s job is to finish,” Izzo-Brown said.
WVU’s Michelle Newhouse earned her first career start in net and finished with one save. The Mountaineers did not allow a Saint Francis shot in the second half.