MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 18, 2024) – Thanks to a brace from junior striker Taylor White, the West Virginia University women’s soccer team earned a 5-0 victory over Radford on Sunday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Led by two goals from White, fifth-year midfielders Lilly McCarthy and AJ Rodriguez and forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran also scored against the Highlanders. Notably, White’s brace marked the first two-goal performance by a Mountaineer since Rodriguez scored twice at Oklahoma on Oct. 23, 2022.
Heredia-Beltran opened the scoring for West Virginia in the 22nd minute after two one-touch passes from junior forward Ajanae Respass and redshirt freshman defender Gianna Koss left her open in the 16-yard box. Just over five minutes later, Rodriguez doubled the Mountaineers’ lead when she received a pass from fifth-year senior forward Chloe Adler. Rodriguez used a little help from the far post to dig the ball in for the goal.
White scored the final goal of the first half in the 38th minute. Two well-placed passes from forwards Abbey Olexa and Olivia Shertzer set up the play. WVU went into the locker room with a 3-0 lead.
After the break, West Virginia picked up where it left off in the first half, despite a goalie change for the Highlanders. Just two minutes into the half, McCarthy sent an absolute rocket shot into the top left corner of the net for an impressive goal.
White scored her second goal in the 59th minute after Heredia-Beltran gained possession near the halfway line. She dribbled into the Mountaineers’ attacking third and slotted the ball through the Radford defenders to White, who scored West Virginia’s fifth and final goal of the afternoon.
In the final score, WVU took 21 shots, including four from Respass, and put 10 of those shots on goal. The Mountaineers also received eight corner kicks on the day. Sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith had to make three saves and secured another clean sheet in the second half with help from sophomore goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth, in her first career start for West Virginia.
Notably, the Mountaineers are 2-0 to start a season for the first time since 2020. Heredia-Beltran also scored a goal and an assist in Sunday’s game, becoming the first to do so since four different Mountaineers each scored a goal and an assist in a 9-0 win over Saint Francis on Aug. 20, 2023.
In addition to Herfurth, young striker Taylor Allen also played her first minutes in gold and blue on Sunday afternoon.
The Mountaineers now prepare for their first road game of the 2024 season, traveling to No. 5 Clemson on Friday, August 23. Kickoff at Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina, is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Press release and photo courtesy of WVU Athletics Communications
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