KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amanda Saymon and Lauren Segalla scored second-half goals and No. 14 West Virginia completed its dominant run through the Big 12 women’s soccer tournament with a 3-0 win over No. 9 Baylor in Sunday’s title game.
The Mountaineers’ 11th shutout of the season was their third of the tournament, in which they outscored three opponents 7-0. Rylee Foster made her only save attempt as West Virginia (14-4-3, 7-2) owned a 19-7 edge in shots to avenge last month’s regular-season loss to the Bears (16-5, 8-1).
Baylor had won 10 matches in a row and scored in their last 21.
“This team had unfinished business, and we knew we would face teams from the nation’s best RPI conference,” coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “We’ve been talking all year about senior leadership, and they were just incredible.
“That Baylor team is lethal, and they’re going to do great things in the NCAA tournament. To hold them to zero goals speaks volumes of our defensive mindset, our backline and Rylee Foster.”
WVU’s Sh’Nia Gordon earned MVP honors with two goals and an assist this week.
The Mountaineers secured the Big 12’s automatic NCAA bid and will learn its tournament pairing Monday afternoon when the selection committee reveals the brackets.
Baylor and West Virginia are expected to host early-round matches.
“Congrats to WVU on winning the championship,” said Baylor coach Paul Jobson. “I am proud of our run to the final and now we must have a short memory and start preparing for a run in the NCAA tournament. Super proud of the resume we have built this season in preparation for the championship portion that is ahead of us.”
After Baylor’s own goal in the 36th minute, West Virginia made it 2-0 when Saymon capitalized on a ricocheting shot to beat Baylor goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt.
Eight minutes later, Segalla iced the victory by scoring off a cross from Nadya Gill.
“I’m so proud that we found the finishes,” Izzo-Brown added. “I think we hit the bars three or four different times.”