The West Virginia University women's soccer team dispatched Texas Tech 3-0 in the first round of the Big 12 Soccer Championship tournament at Swope Soccer Park in Kansas City, Missouri.
A goal in the first half and two in the second half gave WVU the win. The Mountaineers also pushed their conference clean sheet streak to nine games and a total of 844 minutes since conceding a goal on September 23.
The No. 1 seeded Mountaineers (16-1-1, 8-0-0) took a 1-0 lead over the No. 8 seeded Red Raiders (9-7-2, 2-6) into the half on a 15th-minute goal by Sh'Nia Gordon. Heather Kaleiohi slotted a one-on-one opportunity home in the 56th minute and Carla Portillo finished a rebound in the box.
WVU controlled much of the first half but was unable to find a hole behind the five-defender backline that Texas Tech deployed. In the 15th minute, Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Michaela Abam was at the top of the Texas Tech penalty area. She deftly chipped a ball in behind the defense to an on-running Gordon, who cooly finished the goal for a 1-0 lead to the Mountaineers.
WVU almost added a second goal in the opening frame on a series of three corner kicks at the 19-minute mark. Both Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, teammates on the Canadian women's national soccer team, had attempts on goal inside the Texas Tech penalty area, but they were turned away by Tech goalkeeper Lauren Watson.
As the teams made their way onto the field to start play for the second half, lightning struck. The match restart was delayed a little more than 40 minutes.
When the match restarted for the second half, Texas Tech looked to put WVU on its back foot by playing a more direct style. However, WVU was able to collect itself and reassert dominance.
In the 57th minute, Kaleiohi received an incisive through ball from Abam on the right side. She was able to place the ball past an onrushing Watson to put the Mountaineers up 2-0. It was Abam's second assist on the day.
Less than two minutes later, Lawrence took the Texas Tech defense to school, beating a couple defenders while driving into the penalty area on the right goal line. Her shot rebounded into the center, where Portillo cleaned up to push the WVU lead to 3-0.
After WVU put in many reserve players, Texas Tech was able to fire a few shots off and send through balls into the WVU penalty area, but Michelle Newhouse was able to collect them all.
Two WVU starters were missing for the game. Freshman goalkeeper Rylee Foster and sophomore defender Bianca St. Georges were playing for the Canadian U-20 women's national team.
Edit: WVU will face No. 4 seed Oklahoma on Friday, November 4, at 5:30 p.m. ET, in the Big 12 Soccer Championship semifinals.