INSTITUTE – The West Virginia State University women's soccer team scored twice in the first half Sunday afternoon en route to a 3-2 Mountain East Conference victory over Davis & Elkins College. WVSU improves to 5-3-5 overall and 5-2-4 in MEC play, while Davis & Elkins falls to 3-7-3 overall and 2-7-2 in conference action.
The Senators opened the scoring in the seventh minute to take an early 1-0 advantage. WVSU answered in the 15th minute when Sara Paris Filter found the back of the net to level the match. Three minutes later, Paris Filter nearly added a second goal on a rebound attempt that was turned away by the Davis & Elkins goalkeeper.
The Yellow Jackets pulled ahead in the 24th minute as Maria Alejandra Hernandez Diaz served a corner kick to Itzel Nunez, who converted to put WVSU in front 2-1. Prior to halftime, WVSU pressed for another score as Leila Karam forced a save to earn a corner kick, leading to a Cali Questel shot that sailed wide left to keep the margin at 2-1 entering the break.
WVSU maintained momentum out of the intermission, earning three corner kicks and generating four shots in the opening 20 minutes of the second half. Following a Davis & Elkins offside infraction in the 69th minute, Hernandez Diaz capitalized on a feed from Jazz Cedillo to extend the Yellow Jackets' advantage to 3-1.
The Senators scored in the final five minutes to cut the deficit to 3-2, but the WVSU defense held firm down the stretch, denying a late equalizer to seal the win and extend the Yellow Jackets' unbeaten streak to three matches.
WVSU travels to face Concord University on Wednesday, Oct. 14, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. The Yellow Jackets return home to Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 18, to host West Virginia Wesleyan College.
