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BYU edges WVU Women’s Soccer in penalty kicks after 1-1 draw

No. 1 seed BYU advanced in the Big 12 Tournament, beating No. 8 West Virginia 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout. The teams played to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas. Sophie Sivulich gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. Maya Leoni tied it for the Mountaineers with nine seconds left in regulation. West Virginia outshot BYU 24-11 but could not find the go-ahead goal. Read more: BYU edges WVU Women’s Soccer in penalty kicks after 1-1 draw.

First half

BYU started with possession and had six throw-ins in the first five minutes. The final one resulted in a blocked shot by WVU off the foot of Sophie Sivulich. On the ensuing corner, WVU blocked Sivulich’s shot again.

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Abbey Olexa’s first shot of the match went off target in the eighth minute. BYU earned a goal kick, but West Virginia regained possession. The Cougars blocked Saige Wimes’ shot, and Anna Hauer’s shot went off target.

Another off-target shot from Hauer occurred in the 10th minute. Mia Goettsche’s shot went off target in the 12th minute.

The Cougars scored in the 14th minute in the bottom left of the net off the left foot of Sivulich, with assists from Lucy Kesler and Mia Goettsche. They gained a 1-0 lead.

After the goal, a foul on Ava Arnold gave BYU a free kick in the 15th minute. Goettsche’s second shot of the half went off target in the 15th minute, and WVU blocked Mika Krommenhoek’s shot in the 17th.

West Virginia answered with an off-target shot from Sophia Nickel in the 18th minute. Fouls on Sivulich (18th minute), Kesler (23rd), and Presley Freeman (24th) gave WVU three straight free kicks, but none produced a shot.

Alexis Re replaced Jordyn Wilson in the 25th minute and took a shot quickly. BYU goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson saved it in the 25th minute.

BYU’s Kate Fuller forced a save from WVU goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth in the 34th minute. Re tested Peterson again with a bottom-center shot in the 35th, but the Cougars’ goalkeeper saved it. Tyler Clyburn’s off-target shot in the 44th minute was the last chance of the half, and BYU led 1-0 at the break.

Second half

BYU made five substitutions at the break, including goalkeeper Paiton Collins in for Peterson, and West Virginia made four. The Cougars started the half on the attack and earned back-to-back corners in the 48th and 49th minutes. Herfurth cleared both with goal kicks, and Afton Perry’s shot in the 52nd minute went off target.

Krommenhoek picked up a yellow card for unsporting conduct in the 59th minute after a foul. West Virginia then threatened, but BYU blocked Nickel’s shot in the 60th minute.

The Mountaineers pushed late. Layla Thompson’s shot was blocked in the 75th minute, and Hauer’s bottom-right shot was saved by Collins seconds later. WVU earned a corner in the 77th minute, and Hauer’s follow-up shot was blocked. Re forced another save from Collins with a bottom-center shot in the 79th minute.

BYU’s best chance of the half came in the 81st minute, when Fuller’s bottom-center shot was saved by Herfurth. Olexa (84th) and Re (87th) both had shots blocked.

Then, in the 90th minute, Maya Leoni lifted a right-footed shot off a free kick into the top center of the goal to tie it 1-1.

She proceeded to celebrate the equalizer with nine seconds remaining with a roundoff backflip and was mobbed by her teammates.

First overtime

Both teams made wholesale changes for overtime, and BYU kept Collins in goal. BYU picked up an early foul in the 91st minute and was flagged offside before earning a corner in the 92nd, which WVU cleared.

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The Cougars’ Bella Woods drew a yellow card for unsporting conduct in the 95th minute, and the Mountaineers answered with a corner of their own. Thompson’s shot was blocked in the 97th minute, and moments later West Virginia was flagged offside. It negated a golden goal. Re’s attempt in the 98th minute went off target.

BYU closed overtime with five straight throw-ins in the final minute and did not take a shot in the extra period. The first overtime period ended 1-1.

Second overtime

West Virginia opened the second overtime with a foul drawn on BYU’s Perry in the 101st minute, and Arnold’s shot a few seconds later went off target. Hauer had a shot blocked in the 102nd minute.

BYU’s best chance of the extra periods came in the 103rd minute, when Herfurth saved Perry’s shot to the top left of the net. The Cougars followed with a corner, and the Mountaineers cleared it.

Jacey Rase had a shot blocked in the 106th minute, and Sydney Snow’s attempt for BYU was blocked in the 107th. Olexa’s off-target shot in the 108th minute was WVU’s last real chance. BYU’s Mattyn Summers-Oviatt was shown a yellow card for unsporting conduct in the 110th minute, and neither team found the net. After two extra periods, the match was tied 1-1 and went to penalty kicks.

Penalty kicks

BYU shot first and made all four of its attempts. Bella Woods opened with a goal to the bottom right of the net, and WVU’s Nyema Ingleton’s attempt was stopped by Collins. Krommenhoek also went bottom right for BYU, and Alexis Pashales answered with a bottom-right goal to make it 2-1.

Summers-Oviatt scored to the top left, and Kailyn Effah matched her at the top right to keep WVU within a goal, 3-2. Perry’s bottom-left goal made it 4-2, and Olexa’s attempt went over the top, ending the shootout. BYU won it 4-2.

Leoni’s equalizer with nine seconds left bought West Virginia 20 more minutes, but the shootout ended its Big 12 Tournament run.

By the numbers

WVU had five shots on target to BYU’s four. Herfurth finished with three saves, while Peterson had two and Collins had two for BYU. The Cougars won the corner battle 6-4.

BYU had 11 fouls, while WVU had eight. Both teams were called offside three times each.

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Author

  • Trent Conner

    Trent Conner is a skilled writer with years of experience covering various sports. Based in West Virginia, he provides insightful analysis and expert predictions, with a focus on West Virginia University athletics. Trent stays on top of the latest trends and is passionate about delivering engaging and informative sports content.

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