Mountaineers end Cardinal's winning streak at 25 games

• by Soccer America , Aug 26, 2012

[WEST VIRGINIA-STANFORD] Stanford’s 25-game winning streak ended when the No. 2 Cardinal fell at unranked West Virginia, 1-0, at the Penn State Invitational on Sunday.

Frances Silva's goal from the top of the penalty area in the 83rd minute was the difference. It snapped the Cardinal’s unbeaten streaks of 28 matches overall and 64 in the regular season.

“I’m so proud of this team,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “It was a total team effort and they really stepped up, communicated well and believed in one another."

“We have so much respect for Stanford, and to be able to compete with them today was very encouraging. They get everyone’s best shot each time out, and fortunately, we were able to come away with a winning result.”

On Silva's goal, Bri Rodriguez drove a ball into the heart of the box that was punched out by goalkeeper Aly Gleason. WVU’s Jess Crowder quickly fired a shot at the goal that was cleared off the line by a defender. Silva settled the clearance on her thigh and lofted a ball into the upper left corner from 16 yards out.

“I’m so happy right now,” said Silva. “You dream about making big plays in big games, and to be able to help my team knock off a No. 1 team, it’s awesome.”

Stanford outshot West Virginia, 17-7, but forced only one save from Mountaineers’ goalkeeper Sara Keane.

“My reaction is that soccer can be a cruel sport at times,” Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe said. “West Virginia had a good game plan, and we lacked energy and creativity.”

Aug. 26 in University Park, Pa.
West Virginia 1 Stanford 0. Goal: Silva 83.
West Virginia -- Keane, Emaus, Crowder, Smith, McCarthy, Rodriguez, Hill, Blosser, Silva, Schwindel. Subs: DeLaurentis, Conroy, Gunter, Steyn, Honeycutt, Connelly.
Stanford -- Gleason, Garciamendez, Quon, Romine, Bettinger, Liedle, Nogueira, Doll, McCann, Sydney Payne, Griffen. Subs: Shelby Payne, LaBonta, Rosen, Wilkins, Farr, Thompson, Case.
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