Women's Soccer: WVU Advances to Semifinal

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Behind three first-half goals and one second-half score, the 15th-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team downed Villanova, 4-2, in BIG EAST quarterfinal action on Sunday afternoon Villanova Soccer Stadium.

“We played 90 minutes of intense soccer today,” said head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “We came focused on getting a victory today and our hard work payed off.”

Senior Marisa Kanela put the Mountaineers (11-4-3) up 1-0 just 4:30 into the match with her seventh goal of the season. Sophomore Ashley Banks sent a long throw to the far corner of the box and Kanela was there to head the ball past VU goalkeeper Jillian Loyden for the score. The goal was WVU’s quickest of the 2005 season.

Less than two minutes later, Villanova (10-5-4) evened the score on a set-piece header from leading scorer Nikki Mabery.

WVU senior Rachael Minnich gave the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead when she tapped in a deflection off a Kanela shot in the match’s ninth minute for her fourth goal of the season.

The Mountaineers went up 3-1 when freshman Krystle Kallman headed in her second goal of the year off an assist from sophomore Kim Bonilla. Bonilla picked up a ball in the box and sent a short cross into the center where Kallman redirected the ball into the right center of the goal.

Villanova inched closer with a score off a corner kick by defender Laura Koch six minutes into the second half, making the score 3-2 West Virginia.

WVU regained a two-goal lead, when Banks once again proved dangerous with a long throw into the near corner of the box. Bonilla received the pass, turned on it and bent her third goal of the season past Loyden making it 4-2 Mountaineers with under 22 minutes to play.

Today’s four goal output was the most WVU has tallied in a match this season.

West Virginia (11-4-3) advances to face Connecticut in the semifinal round of the BIG EAST championship next Friday, Nov. 4, at Marquette’s Valley Fields. Game time is 6 p.m.(ET). The match will be televised live by CSTV.

West Virginia 4, Villanova 2

Scoring: WVU - Kanela (Banks) 4:30; VU - Mabery (Koch) 5:34; WVU - Minnich (Kanela) 8:12; WVU - Kallman (Bonilla) 18:43 ; VU - Koch (Blandford, Grow) 51:37; WVU - Bonilla (Banks) 68:10
Shots: WVU -15; VU-6
Corner Kicks: WVU -10; VU -1
Fouls: WVU - 6; VU - 15
Goalkeeping: WVU - Lana Bannerman - 90 minutes, two saves, 1 GA; VU - Jillian Loyden 90 minutes, 6 saves, 4 GA