No. 18 West Virginia women’s soccer played to its first draw of the season 0-0 against the No. 24 Georgetown Hoyas at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Thursday.
The scoreboard was the most even stat about the match. West Virginia dominated possession, holding the ball for 66 percent of the game, while out-shooting the Hoyas 10 to five.
“To fight as hard as we did for a shut out was really important, and the effort that was given tonight was really important,” said WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Now it’s just the hunt for the goals, and man, as everyone probably felt it, there were some really big moments.”
WVU’s domination started in the first half, but they weren’t able to test Georgetown keeper Allie Augur.
In fact, Georgetown was the only team to threaten goal in the first 45 minutes, forcing Kayza Massey to make two saves for the Mountaineers.
The second half was almost entirely dominated by West Virginia as they kept the ball in their attacking third. Julianne Vallerand and Juliana Lynch both gave Augur a test in the first minutes out of the break with a pair of shots on target, the first two of three for the Mountaineers.
Despite a high volume of set pieces, West Virginia was unable to capitalize. WVU had eight corner kicks in the contest without notching a score, and mustered five free kicks in the period to the same effect.
Georgetown was the only team to register a shot on net in the overtime periods.
The loss marks three ranked matchups for West Virginia without a goal. This one was especially stinging for the Mountaineers, who controlled the tempo through all 110 minutes of play, but still walked off the pitch without scoring.
“You create your own luck. I think it’s that 10,000 rule, you’ve got to just keep getting after it and not get frustrated,” Izzo-Brown said. “That’s the one thing I don’t want the girls to do is get frustrated because we are creating more chances, there are more opportunities, and now it’s just a matter of putting the ball in the back of the net.”
West Virginia moves to 3-2-1 on the season after its first draw, while Georgetown nabs its third straight for its 2-0-4 record.
WVU returns to the pitch on Sunday against Saint Francis at 1 p.m. ET at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.