The West Virginia Mountaineers (13-2-3, 8-0-3) took down the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-8-6, 3-6-2), 2-1, on Thursday night in the regular season finale. WVU locked up the #2 seed in the 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament that starts on Nov. 3 in Fort Worth, Texas. Read more: WVU Women’s Soccer finishes second in regular season Big 12 ranks after 2-1 win
The stakes
West Virginia came into Thursday’s match at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown with a lot on the line. A win over Cincinnati would guarantee the Mountaineers a top-two seed in the conference tournament, but they would need some help if they wanted the gold.
TCU entered its match on Thursday as the top seed and controlling its own destiny. WVU would need Houston to pull the upset on the Horned Frogs. That did not happen.
WVU still managed to win and earn the #2 seed by taking down the Bearcats in an efficient offensive outing.
First half
The first 24 minutes of the match featured back-and-forth action between the Mountaineers and Bearcats, including an early attack by UC. The tide turned in favor of West Virginia in the 25th minute when team captain Ajanae Respass knocked in her second goal of the season.
Respass was set up thanks to a Maddie Levy assist, breaking down the Bearcat defenders via high-quality passing. Levy collected her fourth assist of 2025… and it was not her last against Cincinnati.
WVU doubled down early in the 47th minute when Anna Hauer continued her hot streak with her third goal this season. Hauer’s trio of scores all game in the final three matches of the regular season, as she notched the others against Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
Maddie Levy picked up another assist on Hauer’s strike, tying Levy with Hauer for second place in the assist category on the year. Both women have been key contributors to West Virginia’s success all season long.
Second half
It was a quiet second half for WVU as the Mountaineers nursed the two-goal lead. Cincinnati’s Maddie Swingle cut the Bearcat deficit in half with a score in the 57th minute. The score remained 2-1 the rest of the way.
This was the least dominant performance from West Virginia in several outings, doubling Cincinnati in fouls (12-6) and only collecting three corners. That said, WVU outshot UC 11-6 overall and 6-1 on goal.
The result counts the same, regardless of what it took for the Mountaineers to get there.
Final wrap
West Virginia now sets its sights on the 2025 Big 12 Soccer Tournament, with the Mountaineers’ first hurdle likely coming in the form of the Kansas Jayhawks. The 2-seed will face the 7-seed at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, according to the Big 12 Conference website.
Head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown and her West Virginia Mountaineers finished the regular season on an absolute tear. WVU has not lost outright since Aug. 24 against Penn State and will push to keep the streak alive going into the postseason.
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