University of Richmond Athletics
Women's Soccer Ties West Virginia, 1-1, in Overtime
09/17/2005 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 17, 2005
University of Richmond, Va. - The University of Richmond Spiders came out to play Friday night against the nationally-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, ending in a 1-1 tie. Heart and hustle were key factors in the night's results. The Spiders took the lead early on when senior Hillary Prince (Plano, Texas) crossed a free kick to Freshman Jessie Wolfe (Germantown, Md.) who headed the ball into the back of the net just four minutes into the game. The Spiders played hard and maintained their composure for the rest of the half, holding the Mountaineers to a 1-0 lead.
The Spiders came out strong again in the second half, but just couldn't hold off the Mountaineers attack. West Virginia really poured it on in the last fifteen minutes and were able to take advantage of a bad clear in the back by a Richmond player. With just nine minutes left in the game, West Virginia Freshman Deana Everrett headed the ball into the back of the net off of a short cross from Natalie Cocchi, saving the Mountaineers from defeat.
"It's disappointing to let them come back at the end, but I don't feel bad about it. It really was a good result against a good team. And more importantly, the quality of the game represents a big jump for us. We are really progressing each week in the kind of soccer we are playing," stated Albright.
Albright praises Freshman Sarah Hilt, Sophomore Christine Wurblesky and Freshman Ashleigh Blumer for their strong play in the back. This trio's heart and determination in holding off West Virginia's attack was crucial. Albright also credits the reserve team as playing a big part in this stepping stone for Richmond. "The quality training this week by the reserve team made it possible for us to raise our level of soccer. This was a big difference from last week," stated Albright.
"With the men's last-minute victory over VCU and then our game, it was a great night for soccer..."
The Spiders will head to Charlottesville, Va. this Sunday to take on the nationally-ranked University of Virginia (No. 12 according to the latest NSCAA/adidas poll) at 5pm.
