CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Cast in a rare Cinderella role this postseason, the West Virginia women’s soccer team finally saw its run come to an end in the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 3-0 loss to Washington State.
“All of the credit goes to Washington State, they were a team that was able to put three great goals in the back of the net,” WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “I wish Washington State nothing but the best. I’m super proud of how we played tonight, we battled hard and didn’t quit despite the result.”
The Cougars were able to score early and sit on that lead, with Makamae Gomera-Stevens taking advantage of a WVU defensive giveaway and putting it in the top of the net in the 14th minute.
The Mountaineers celebrated a tying goal from Alina Stahl in the 37th minute, but it was wiped off the board when the linesman ruled Stahl offside on the play.
The Cougars broke the game open when Morgan Weaver scored goals in the 64th and 70th minutes.
“I’m proud of this run and I’m super proud of this team,” Izzo-Brown said. “This is a young team that’s faced a lot of adversity throughout the season and they never gave up. It’s been an incredible run.”
West Virginia finished the season with a 12-8-2 record. The Mountaineers were one of the last at-large teams in this year’s tournament field, and proved they belonged with wins over Georgetown and Central Connecticut State.
The Mountaineers have advanced to the NCAA tournament 20 straight years, and have reached the third round in four of the last five seasons.