Hurricanes Win 1-0 Overtime Thriller
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — After outshooting Pittsburgh 22-7 in Game One of the WVU 90 Minute Classic, the Hurricanes broke through on a 99th-minute goal from senior Tina Romagnuolo for a 1-0 overtime win.
“I want to give credit to Pitt for making it difficult on us today,” head coach Tom Anagnost said. “I am really proud of our women. We persevered, stuck with it and finally got it done when it was difficult.”
Eight different Hurricanes registered shots on goal in the contest, including two apiece from Blake Stockton and Kate Howarth, as Miami forced Panthers’ goalkeeper Nicole D’Agostino into nine saves.
Stockton, who played all 99 minutes on the night, blasted a shot that was redirected by Romagnuolo to push their side (3-2-0) to victory. The junior’s shot was sent through traffic outside the box and landed inside the left post for the gamewinner.
The Hurricanes dominated in nearly every offensive category, including shots (22 to 7), shots on goal (10 to 4) and cornerkicks (nine to three), but were unable to break through heading into overtime. It was the second straight overtime contest for head coach Tom Anagnost‘s squad, who fell to then-No. 9 UCF 1-0 last Sunday.
“I felt we had a lot of the ball and were in Pitt’s end the majority of the match,” Anagnost said. “I still think that when we get tired there are too many individuals that lose discipline and make unforced mistakes. That is a mentality.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Lillard registered four saves in the contest, notching her first career shutout as a Hurricane on the Dick Diesk Soccer Stadium pitch. With the win, the Hurricanes have now outscored opponents by an impressive 9-3 margin through their first five contests of the season.
Miami returns forits second and final game of the WVU 90 Minute Classic on Sunday, when it takes on the homestanding Mountaineers at noon.
“Tactically, our decisions with and without the ball have to get better,” Anagnost said. “Hopefully we can build from this and get a deeper belief in ourselves and what we are doing. Sunday is going to be tough.”
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