The No. 11 Georgetown women’s soccer team (4-0-2, Big East) remained undefeated on the season with a 2-0 win against West Virginia (1-2-3, Big 12) on Sunday afternoon. Junior defender Meaghan Nally and graduate student forward Kyra Carusa scored the goals for the Hoyas while senior goalkeeper Arielle Schechtman made five saves.
The Mountaineers tested Schechtman early with a speculative 50-yard effort that forced the Georgetown keeper to tip the ball wide of the post. Minutes later, senior forward Sh’nia Gordon rounded Schechtman and looked to play the ball into the empty net, but Georgetown senior defender Jenna Staudt recovered to clear the shot away. Senior forward Caitlin Farrell forced the first save out of West Virginia’s junior goalkeeper Rylee Foster 12 minutes in, and two minutes later, sophomore defender Kelly Ann Livingstone missed the target with a close range header from a corner kick.
The teams then settled into the game and didn’t allow the other many significant chances until the 35th minute, when Nally put her first time shot into the top left corner after a scramble in the Mountaineers box to make the score 1-0. The Hoyas pressed high to finish a solid first half, outshooting West Virginia 8-3. The Mountaineers held the advantage in corners, however, which reflected the even first half.
The Hoyas started the second half strong and forced a pair of early saves from Foster, but the Mountaineers eventually settled into the half and pinned Georgetown back into its defensive third. Livingstone made a pair of key blocks in the 66th minute as the Hoyas defense stood firm and kept its clean sheet despite allowing 11 shots in the second half.
Carusa gave Georgetown an insurance goal in the 76th minute, taking the ball down with her back to goal and smashing the ball in with her left foot inside the box. Hold up play from the front three of Farrell, Carusa, and senior forward Amanda Carolan, as well as junior midfielder Paula Germino-Watnick, helped the Hoyas run out the clock and come away with a convincing road victory.
“This was a great win on the road against a top program in West Virginia. They put us under real pressure at moments in the game, and I thought the girls worked so hard to limit their chances,” head coach Dave Nolan said. “I am so proud of this group as we work hard every day to get better, and that’s our focus.”
The Hoyas return to Shaw Field on Sunday to face George Mason at 12 p.m. ET. Follow @GUVoiceSports on Twitter for live updates of the game as well as coverage of all fall sports at Georgetown.
