WKU soccer drops double-OT decision at Old Dominion

NORFOLK, Va. – Locked in a scoreless battle heading in the second overtime period,
WKU dropped a 1-0 decision on Friday evening against Old Dominion at the ODU Soccer
Complex following Kyra Ricks’ match-winner in the 105th minute in the C-USA regular
season opener for both sides.

WKU (3-5, 0-1 C-USA) played stout defense throughout the evening and held the
Monarchs (3-2-2, 1-0 C-USA) scoreless through the end of the first overtime period,
but Ricks notched the golden goal with 104:36 on the clock as her shot ricocheted
off the post and into the back of the net. The Lady Toppers were outshot 21-9 on the
night but placed four of their nine chances on goal.

“All credit goes to Old Dominion tonight. They stuck to a solid game plan and in the
end, their will to win was the difference,” Head Coach Jason Neidell said. “Our
group is resilient. We will get back to work this week and prepared for a tough
Southern Miss team next Thursday.”

Hannah Chua starred offensively for the Lady Toppers, firing three of her four shots
on goal as a constant threat throughout the match. Chua placed a shot on goal in the
first half, second half and first overtime period but could not sneak a chance past
Krista Moisio for the breakthrough goal. Sarah Gorham also had a pair of shots on
Friday evening, while Christina Bragado tallied her first shot on goal of the season
in the 80th minute.

Allison Leone turned in a strong performance between the posts, playing the full
match and tallying seven saves, her most in a regular season matchup against a C-USA
foe since notching nine at Rice on Sept. 30, 2016. The goalkeeper now has three
matches this season with seven or more stops, including a season-best nine at Texas
on Aug. 20.

For Old Dominion, Ricks had a match-high five shots and put two of those on goal;
Madison Hogan also had a pair of shots on goal for the Monarchs on the night. In
goal, Moisio played all 105 minutes and earned the solo shutout after make four
saves.

Nicole Roseland opened the match by sending the first chance of the evening just
over the bar only 62 seconds after the first kick, but WKU was forced to weather a
barrage of Old Dominion shots over the next 10 minutes to maintain the early
deadlock. The Monarchs’ most threatening attack came on a corner kick in the seventh
minute, as leading scorer Stroud sent a header just wide of the net.

WKU nearly claimed an early 1-0 lead in the road tilt in the 12th minute off the
foot of Chua. The senior found space and put her attempt on goal, but Moisio was
there for the stop to end the strong offensive threat from the Lady Toppers.

Just under 10 minutes later, Leone jumped into action for her first save of the
night. Faced with a shot from Old Dominion’s Gaby Bentley, the Kennesaw, Ga., native
corralled the chance to deny the Monarchs the lead, keeping the match scoreless at
the 20-minute mark.

Neither side managed another shot on goal over the final 25 minutes of the first
half, but the Lady Toppers had a pair of corner kicks in the 42nd minute to apply
offensive pressure on the Monarchs. Neither set piece led to a goal, however, as the
two sides entered the locker room in a scoreless draw after 45 minutes.

Out of the halftime break, Old Dominion pressured Leone just under 10 minutes into
the second frame. Kyra Ricks’ initial shot was wide of the goal, but a header from
Kira Laurento fell into the senior keeper’s hands for her first save of the half as
the scoreline remained level.

Over the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Lady Topper offense nearly netted the
breakthrough goal on several occasions. Chua’s header in the 72nd minute gave WKU
its best scoring opportunity of the second half to that point, and three minutes
later Deven Jackson came within inches of scoring the first goal of her collegiate
career as her shot from distance struck the crossbar but could not find the back of
the net.

In the 80th minute, corner kick specialist Aleksandra Kozovic lofted the set piece
into the box and found Bragado, but again Moisio was there to deny the Lady Toppers’
chance. Chua fired a final shot just wide as the clock wound down, sending the match
into overtime still knotted at 0-0.

Chances for both sides bookended the first overtime period: Chua’s effort in the
91st minute forced Moisio into action on the stop, while Leone extended the match
with less than a minute remaining in the period as she made a strong stop on Old
Dominion’s Emma Gervase to send the match into a second overtime and set up Ricks’
decisive goal.

Following tonight’s match, the Lady Toppers are off for nearly a week, not returning
to the field until Thursday, Sept. 21, when the team travels to Hattiesburg, Miss.,
to take on Southern Miss at 4 p.m. WKU is then set to return to the WKU Soccer
Complex on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. as the Lady Toppers battle Rice in their
C-USA home opener.