Another overtime match ends in 2-2 tie for WVU

The West Virginia women’s soccer team is in the middle of a shocking streak.

With a 2-2 draw against Purdue Sunday, the Mountaineers have played in their fourth consecutive double-overtime game and have recorded their third tie in as many games.

"We are not finishing our chances right now," said head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "The good news is we are creating them, the bad news is we are just not finishing them."

Coming off a home game against Duquesne in which the Mountaineers struggled to score, Izzo-Brown was hoping the West Virginia offense would open up against the Boilermakers. Unfortunately, while West Virginia was able to register a large quantity of shots against Purdue, the quality of shots was what upset Izzo-Brown.

"I think we are having technical breakdowns when we are striking balls," Izzo-Brown said. "It’s one thing to strike a ball, and then it’s one thing to strike a ball to finish. We are just not finishing."

The game started with a yellow card to each team. West Virginia’s Mallory Smith earned the first card in the 21st minute, while Purdue’s Stuart Hadley earned one in the 38th minute.

"There was some physical play," Izzo-Brown said. "Both teams wanted to win, especially Purdue at home."

Hadley followed her yellow card with a Boilermaker score in the 41st minute.

Needing some sort of spark, freshman Kelsie Maloney put the ball in the back of the net out of half time. Maloney, who is coming off a hamstring injury, was granted a number of good looks against Duquesne and finally managed to finish against the Boilermakers.

"I think what’s good (about Maloney) is this game she played better than the Duquesne game," Izzo-Brown said. "She played more minutes for us and put one in the back of the net. That is all I can ask from her."

With the game tied at 1-1, Purdue’s Jordan Palkin scored the match’s next goal to put pressure on the Mountaineers as time wound down in the second half.

Down by a goal with three minutes to play, sophomore forward Kate Schwindel pulled the Mountaineers even at 2-2. Schwindel, who scored her second goal in as many games,
continues to be a leader offensively for West Virginia.

"Her leadership and being able to score for us is critical for us," Izzo-Brown said. "Obviously if Scwindel doesn’t step up and finish that goal, we are not tying that game.

"(Schwindel) is just battling and fighting and finding ways to finish."

Schwindel’s goal was the last of the match. Each team managed to register four shots in the two overtimes, but neither was able to finish. The Mountaineers would fall to 2-3-3 with two games remaining before their first Big 12 Conference game.

After a grueling nonconference schedule, Izzo-Brown will use the final two games to make the necessary adjustments to make sure her team is ready for play in the Big 12. The Mountaineers are not ready presently, but Izzo-Brown is confident that with the proper tweaks they will be.

"Once we figure out how to take care of the little things, we are going to take care of Big 12 play," she said