Nov. 16, 2007
From Navy Athletic Communications
Morgantown, W.Va. -- Big East Co-Offensive Player of the Year Ashley Banks gave 12th-ranked and fourth-seeded West Virginia the lead just seven minutes into the contest, as the Mountaineers snapped Navy's 10-game unbeaten streak and defeated the unseeded Navy women's soccer team, 4-0, in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament Friday night at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. An explosive West Virginia offense peppered the Midshipmen with 31 shots, putting 17 on goal.
Navy knew the Mountaineers had an impressive offensive arsenal, but little did it know that it would spend most of the game defending its own goal.
"West Virginia is an athletic, fit team who was relentless in its attacking game," said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "In the end, they just wore us down."
Junior defender Greer Barnes set up the Mountaineers' first goal by racing down the field, nearly reaching the endline just to the left of the goal. It was there she was able to serve Banks who settled the ball and fired in a six-yard shot to the left corner and post her team-leading 14th goal of the year.
Despite facing 17 first-half shots, the Midshipmen put together a solid defensive effort, holding WVU to just one goal. The Mountaineers had several chances to tack onto their lead in the opening 45 minutes of play, but Navy goalkeeper Lizzie Barnes (New Orleans, La.) put together one of her best efforts of the year. Barnes made a career-high 13 saves in the game, six in the first half and seven in the second. One of her best saves of the evening was off a five-yard blast by Deanna Everrett in the 26th minute whose shot was so hard hit, the ball came ricocheting off Barnes' hands and chest and out of play.
The Mountaineers didn't let up in the second half where just five minutes elapsed before they added to their lead. Junior midfielder Lisa DuCote chipped the ball from the right side into the center of the box were Everrett sent a 10-yard shot past Barnes.
In the 56th minute, WVU put together a flurry of shots that resulted in a Barnes save, along with back-to-back team saves as her teammates were there serving as the last line of defense. Just minutes later, however, veteran forward Kim Bonilla made a pretty move on her Navy defender, isolating her and turning to right to boot in an 18-yard shot to the lower left corner of the net.
The Mountaineers' final goal of the game came in the 65th minute when Everrett fired off a shot that was blocked, however, a second effort was driven hard into the upper left corner of the net.
Navy managed just four shots in the contest, including two on goal. Sophomore defender Lauren Bresnahan's (Weston, Fla.) header was grabbed out of the air by WVU rookie keeper Kerri Butler in the 53rd minute, while Brigitte Fox (La Mesa, Calif.) had a 1v1 opportunity against Butler, but her eight-yard shot with 16 minutes remaining in the game was scooped up out of play.
Earlier in the half, junior forward Sam Schroth (Chester Springs, Pa.) was fouled from behind just outside of the box. Junior Carey Young (Virginia Beach, Va.) took the direct kick, but was unable to get underneath the ball as it clipped the left side of the wall and was sent back to the midfield by the WVU defense.
Navy concluded its season by saying goodbye to its five seniors -- team captain Kari Weniger (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Fox, Lindsay Parker (Carmichael, Calif.), Katie Traster (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Rachel Tarbox (Upper Arlington, Ohio). The Mids, who made their third NCAA Tournament appearance including two in a row, finished the year with a 14-5-4 record.
