BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The 16th-ranked Fairmont State women's soccer team (7-0-1, 5-0-1) defeated West Virginia Wesleyan (2-4-2, 2-3-1) 2-1 on Wednesday in conference play. The Falcons finished with advantages of 15-7 in shots and 9-2 in shots on goal.
Sam Yuen put Fairmont State in front in the third minute, finishing off an assist from
Dayra Dinarte for a 1-0 lead. After a physical stretch that included six combined fouls,
Arrington Sparks doubled the advantage at 21:58 with
Regan Shockey providing the assist.
The Falcons continued to press after the second goal, with
Serenity Thomas, Sparks and Shockey each forcing saves from Reyna Dalton and the Falcons earning three corner kicks between 28:26 and 32:58. The Bobcats managed two shots later in the half, but the Falcons kept the home side off the scoreboard and went into halftime ahead 2-0.
The Falcons finished off a 2-1 win after withstanding the Bobcats' late push in the second half. Early in the second half, the Falcons generated several chances, including a
Dahlia Welter shot and a corner in the opening minutes, followed by attempts from Dinarte and
Payton Parliament, whose shot was saved by Reyna Dalton.
The visitors added another attacking stretch from the 73rd through 79th minutes, with Yuen,
Braylyn Sparks and
Arrington Sparks all putting shots on frame that Dalton saved. The Bobcats scored through Carlie Ice at 79:36 to make it 2-1, but
Olivia Johnston answered with a save on Isabella Mazza in the 84th minute as the Falcons protected the margin through a physical closing stretch.
Arrington Sparks scored the game-winning goal and put three of her four shots on goal. Yuen scored the Falcons' first goal and finished with four shots, including two on frame.
Fairmont State will host West Virginia State on Sunday, September 27 at Duvall-Rosier Field. Match time is set for 1:00 p.m.
