CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — West Virginia advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament off the head of sophomore Alina Stahl, downing Central Connecticut State 1-0 in Friday night’s second-round matchup.
Stahl ended the double-overtime thriller in the 106th minute, heading a corner kick from fellow sophomore Lizzie Mayfield into the back of the net.
Both the Mountaineers and Blue Devils had advanced with first-round upsets. West Virginia knocked off Georgetown, while Central Connecticut State upended regional No. 4 seed Rutgers in the first round. Only the top four teams in each region are seeded.
“Central Connecticut deserved to be here, they are a tough opponent. But we found a way to win the game,” said West Virginia coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “This team is a determined bunch that believes in each other and wants to win. Nobody gave up, nobody quit. We have a gritty team, it’s one of the grittiest teams that I’ve ever coached.”
The Mountaineers (12-7-2), making their 20th consecutive NCAA tourney appearance, were one of the last team’s in this year’s field. Now they have a chance to be one of the last standing.
Host Virginia, the top seed in the region, was beaten 3-1 by underdog Washington State on Friday night. The Cougars will face the Mountaineers with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line Sunday at 5 p.m. The winner of that game will play either South Carolina or Kansas for a berth in the Final Four.