UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The No. 7-seed West Virginia University women’s soccer team fell to Penn State, 4-0, in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa., on Friday night.
Despite leading in shots in the first half, the Mountaineers (11-5-7, 4-1-4 Big 12) were worn down by the Penn State attack, ultimately ending their 2022 campaign at the hands of the Nittany Lions.
Penn State’s early goal 18 seconds into the match set the tone, as the score stood at 1-0 in favor of the Nittany Lions at halftime. PSU added three more scores in the 56th, 57th and 69th minutes of the second half to put the game away and secure its spot in the next round.
In the final box score, Penn State led the way in shots (11-8) and shots on goal (8-3), while the Mountaineers took five corner kicks to the Nittany Lions’ four. Fifth-year senior Lauren Segalla and senior forward/defender Julianne Vallerand paced WVU with a pair of shots.
In goal, senior goalkeeper Kayza Massey was credited with the loss, before fifth-year senior keeper Maddie Murphy subbed her out in the 79th minute. Murphy made four saves in her first appearance of the season.
With the loss, WVU moves 7-12-3 all-time against the Nittany Lions, as well as 2-4 in NCAA Tournament meetings. West Virginia falls to 24-20-5 in the NCAA Tournament after making its 16th appearance in the second round in program history.
Additionally, WVU has made an appearance in 22 of the last 23 NCAA Tournaments.
The Mountaineers completed their 27th season of competition at Penn State on Friday, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 11-5-7, including a 4-1-4 mark in Big 12 Conference play.
West Virginia secured its 18th conference title after winning the 2022 Big 12 Tournament, marking its 10th Big 12 title all time.
Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown led the squad to its 23rd consecutive season with 10 wins or more, as she has never had a losing season as the program’s only head coach.
Of note, Friday’s contest marked the final collegiate game for fifth-year seniors Jordan Brewster, Maddie Murphy and Lauren Segalla.
