WVU women’s soccer earns program’s 400th win with victory over Baylor

Earning the Mountaineers’ 400th victory in program history, the West Virginia University women’s soccer team secured a 2-0 win over Baylor at Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco, Texas, on Sunday afternoon.

The win propelled the Mountaineers (10-3-2, 6-1-1 Big 12) across the 400-win plateau, a mark they achieved in the program’s 29th season. The only coach in program history, Nikki Izzo-Brown has led West Virginia to an all-time mark of 400-141-75.

Sophomore defender Olivia Shertzer put the Mountaineers on the board in the waning minutes of the first half, scoring her first career goal, which eventually became her first career game winner. Senior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran also added an insurance tally in the second half, her third score of the season.

In the early going, it looked as though the first half would finish as it started, with neither team creating a quality chance. Despite 10 shots from the Mountaineers in the first half, their first-half lead didn’t come until the final minutes of the first half. Shertzer intercepted a ball in the Bears’ attacking third, then took it all the way up the field to create her own opportunity. She dribbled into the 18-yard box, squared up to frame and sent it into the upper 90 of the goal to give WVU the 1-0 lead at the break.

Out of the locker room, Heredia-Beltran wasted no time giving West Virginia its insurance goal. Just two minutes into the second half, junior forward Taylor White sent an opportunity toward classmate Ajanae Respass, but the ensuing chance was knocked off frame. However, Heredia-Beltran was able to clean up the second-chance ball and send it in for the score.

From there, Baylor was knocking, trying to get a goal and push for an equalizer. However, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith and the Mountaineer defense worked hard to keep the Bears off the scoreboard. Smith notched a career-high tying five saves in the match to save the clean sheet. The shutout marked the defense’s seventh of the season, while it was Smith’s fourth solo clean sheet this year. Furthermore, it marked the defense’s first road shutout since Oct. 15, 2023, a 1-0 win at Kansas.

In the final box score, the two teams tied with 14 shots apiece, while WVU just edged Baylor 7-5 in shots on goal and 6-5 in corner kicks. Shertzer paced the Mountaineers’ offensive efforts with the goal and three total shots. With the win, West Virginia improves to 10-2-2 all-time against the Bears, as well as 3-2 in matches played in Waco.

West Virginia now returns to Morgantown for its final two home matches of the regular season. Up first, the Mountaineers welcome Texas Tech to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 17. It’s Fan Appreciation Night, and kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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