BUCKHANNON, W.Va. –
Leila Karam scored a pair of goals Sunday afternoon as the West Virginia State University women's soccer team earned a 3-1 road victory over West Virginia Wesleyan College. WVSU, which has won two in a row, improves to 3-2-2 overall and 3-1-1 in Mountain East Conference play, while West Virginia Wesleyan falls to 2-3-2 overall and 2-2-1 in MEC action.
WVSU dominated the stat sheet, outshooting the Bobcats 27-9 with a 9-3 edge in shots on goal. The Yellow Jackets also held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks, including five in the second half. Karam scored the first goal of the game, before adding the third goal late.
Kaylee Smith scored the second goal for the Yellow Jackets.
Maria Alejandra Hernandez Diaz put the initial shot on target in the fourth minute to yield an early WVSU corner kick.
Kanon Tai had an attempt blocked off the set piece before forcing a save from the Bobcats goalkeeper moments later.
The Yellow Jackets maintained relentless pressure as Tai hit the crossbar two minutes later. Following a pair of goal kicks, WVSU unleashed three consecutive attempts—a blocked shot from Smith, an effort from
Sharon Freire Omonigho that hit the crossbar, and another saved attempt from Tai.
In the 18th minute, WVSU generated another series of chances off a free kick as Smith had a shot blocked before
Madison Fortin sent an attempt wide right. After
Celina Seggelmann recorded her first save in the 22nd minute, WVSU broke through when Karam converted a pass from Omonigho to make it 1-0.
The Bobcats answered three minutes later to level the match at 1-1. Chances proved sparse through the remainder of the period, with attempts from Hernandez Diaz and Sara Paris Filter missing the target as the teams went into halftime tied.
WVSU restarted its attack immediately in the second half as Hernandez Diaz had a shot blocked off a corner kick before an attempt from
Itzel Nunez. Hernandez Diaz put another shot on target in the 53rd minute to force another corner kick before Seggelmann turned away a Wesleyan attempt in the 60th minute.
The breakthrough came in the 72nd minute when
Raelin Thomson forced a save, allowing Smith to collect the rebound and finish unassisted to give WVSU a 2-1 lead. WVSU earned consecutive corner kicks in the 78th minute and continued to control tempo before putting the match out of reach in the 89th minute, as Karam struck off a
Cali Questel pass to secure the 3-1 victory.
WVSU returns to Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium Wednesday night to host Wheeling University. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
