The West Virginia women’s soccer team lost to No. 5-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the 2024 Division I Women’s Soccer Championship Friday. The Wildcats hosted the first round. The Mountaineers received an at-large bid to the tournament making it their 23rd appearance in 25 seasons.
WVU had a regular season overall record of 12-5-2 (8-2-1 in Big 12). Kentucky’s overall record was 11-4-4 (3-3-4 in SEC). The Wildcats lost in the first round of the SEC tournament while the Mountaineers lost their first game following a bye in the Big 12 tournament.
The game remained scoreless at the half. The first half consisted of back-and-forth play between the two teams. Kentucky had five shots on goal, while WVU put up four.
Five minutes into the second half, WVU sophomore Olivia Shertzer made the first goal between either team making the score 1-0. Just three minutes later, Kentucky graduate student Maddie Kemp put Kentucky’s first goal into the bottom left of the goal, tying the game.
The second half was more electric with 11 shots on goal by each team. Overtime was needed as the score remained 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes. In NCAA soccer, if overtime is necessary, the game will continue until two ten-minute periods are completed. If neither team moves ahead, a penalty kick shoot-out will determine the winner.
The score remained unchanged following both ten-minute periods of overtime. The Mountaineers dominated offensively during the first period, but the Wildcats took the intensity during the second period.
Out of five shootout attempts for each team, the Mountaineers failed to make more than two, while the Wildcats succeeded in putting four in the back of the net.
WVU goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith made three saves, and Kentucky goalkeeper Marzia Josephson made seven saves. Both goalkeepers played the entire game and overtime.
The Mountaineers received three yellow cards, one during the shootout, for time-wasting, while the Wildcats only had one. Neither team faced any ejections.
Kentucky will continue into the second round of the NCAA tournament, while West Virginia’s season ended.
