WVU bruised but Unbowed by Baylor

by Ian Thomson

October 17, 2012

West Virginia’s sophomore forward Kate Schwindel might be struggling to put her best side forward for the Fox Soccer Channel cameras Thursday night when the Mountaineers meet Oklahoma in Big 12 Conference play.

The Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week for Oct. 1 to 7 left the field at Dick Dlesk Stadium after last Friday’s 1-1 tie with Baylor sporting a bump on her head and traces of a bruise developing on her forehead between her eyes.

“Oh great,” said Schwindel with a resigned sigh and a smirk as she learned of her predicament.

The result, which ended WVU’s seven-game winning streak, lifted the Big 12 debutants to 5-0-1 in conference play and kept them at the top of the standings. Only 13 seconds of regulation time remained when Baylor’s leading scorer Dana Larsen equalized with an immaculate 25-yard free kick. West Virginia’s indomitable drive not to be bullied by Baylor’s physical style of play provided some abatement for missing out on a sixth straight one-goal win so close to the final whistle.

“We knew it was going to happen but I guess we didn’t think it was going to be that intense,” Schwindel told TopDrawerSoccer.com, referring to Baylor’s physical approach. “I think we battled for the whole game and really showed them that we could be physical too.

Schwindel’s first battle scars appeared after 11 minutes when Taylor Heatherly’s meaty clearance cannoned off her head from close range. The Livingston, N.J. native lay motionless for a few minutes before being led gingerly to the sideline.

WVU forwards Schwindel, Frances Silva and Kelsie Maloney were being put on lockdown by Baylor’s aggressive back line. Kat Ludlow dominated in the air and the swarming of her teammates Bri Campos and Hanna Gilmore ensured that the visitors from Waco, Texas picked up most of the second balls in midfield. That made it increasingly difficult for the Mountaineers to find their front players’ feet.

“We knew they were going to man-mark us,” said WVU head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “We knew they were going to battle. What’s hard is you start getting involved in that kind of play.”

The game developed into a series of fierce 1-vs-1 territorial battles, suggesting that the outcome would hang on a moment of brilliance or a blip. Ultimately, one of each from WVU shaped the final result.

Maloney responded to Katie Daigle’s fouling by turning the Baylor right-back inside out on the left wing on 26 minutes before hanging a dangerous cross to the back post that goalkeeper Michelle Kloss could only flap away from under her crossbar. Silva kept the ball alive before Kara Blosser drilled it into the bottom-left corner from 12 yards to put the resilient Mountaineers ahead.

Schwindel needed further attention for a head knock before the first half ended and her frustration boiled over on 49 minutes. She was cautioned for a crude lunge after being fought off the ball by Baylor’s Selby Polley.

“I think my Jersey side came out a little bit,” Schwindel said.

Maloney’s resolute response to Baylor’s aggression continued with a magnificent solo break on 72 minutes that compared to Ryan Giggs’ memorable goal for Manchester United against Arsenal in the 1999 F.A. Cup semi-final replay. Maloney slalomed through the visitors’ defense after picking the ball up in her own half and she kept going until a shooting opportunity arose in Baylor’s penalty box. Unlike Giggs, she didn’t have the strength left to rifle her shot high into Kloss’ net from a tight angle.

Baylor pressed on, and they received an unexpected chance to send the game to overtime with virtually the last play. The visitors punted the ball long after West Virginia cheaply conceded possession under little pressure in midfield and Campos earned a free kick just outside the box. Larsen curled a swerving, dipping shot beyond the reach of Sara Keane, WVU’s excellent goalkeeper. Momentum swung in Baylor’s favor during overtime, but they were unable to seriously trouble Keane’s goal.

“We could have done a better job managing the clock,” Izzo-Brown said. “We weren’t smart with it. There are a lot of things in retrospect we could have done better.

“Unfortunately we didn’t and we didn’t get the result.”

Ian Thomson is a freelance soccer reporter and founder of The Soccer Observer Web site. Follow him on Twitter at @SoccerObserver.