WVU Women’s Soccer Bounces Back Against Duquesne

The West Virginia Mountaineers (2-2) are back in the win column. WVU took down the Duquesne Dukes (3-1) on Thursday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Read more: WVU Women’s Soccer Bounces Back Against Duquesne

Smothering Performance

West Virginia once again dominated the box score, racking up 20 shots and holding possession for 67% of the match. Duquesne only tallied five shots, but four were on goal. As for the Mountaineers, nine of their 20 shots were on goal. 

The Mountaineers silenced the Dukes’ biggest threat, Maya Matesa. The senior forward came into Thursday’s match as a top goal scorer in the country. Matesa was, and still is, responsible for seven of Duquesne’s 12 goals through four matches. Her only contributions to the final book on Thursday were the fouls she was charged with. 

WVU also registered six corner kick opportunities, compared to just two by Duquesne. The Dukes were simply unable to capitalize on any front.

A Change in Keep

Bailey Herfurth got the nod to goalkeep for WVU on Thursday, earning the start over Mackenzie Smith. Herfurth played the entire match and made four saves. 

According to WVU Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, having options is not a bad thing regarding the goalkeeper battle. 

“Competition is the sweetest motivator. So we’re going to just get in and compete and hope that both of them keep becoming the best version of themselves… I have a hard decision to make on Sunday.”

Time will tell who ends up getting the start in net on Sunday, when the Mountaineers hit the road to face Dayton. 

Related: JJ Quinerly Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Offensive Bursts

West Virginia matched its season-high for goals in a match (3). The Mountaineers also scored a trifecta of goals against Akron on August 21st. 

It was the Maddie Levy and Taylor White show against Duquesne. White tallied her third goal of the season, scoring one in each of the past three matches. 

As for Levy, the sophomore collected the final two goals on Thursday, the first scores of her young collegiate career. White was credited with assists on both Levy tallies. Coach Izzo-Brown sees the potential in the sophomore. 

“Maddie is really special on the ball. She sees things and she has the ability to move the ball really well, and this ability to scan… and that’s what she was able to do tonight. “ 

Listen to Coach Izzo-Brown’s complete post-game press conference here.

What’s Next

WVU Women’s Soccer will be back in action at 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 31st. The Mountaineers will face the Dayton Flyers in another non-conference road test. 

A recap of Sunday’s game will be available in due time right here on WV Sports Nation. In the meantime, make sure to stay up to date with all things West Virginia sports, including in-depth coverage of Mountaineer football.