WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's soccer team continued its recent surge here Wednesday with an impressive 2-1 victory against Mountain East Conference South Division power West Virginia State at the West Family Athletic Complex.
     Rileigh Gualtiere finished off a brilliant cross from Kaelyn Oskin in the 55th minute to snap a 1-1 deadlock and a well-organized defensive effort made it stand up for Coach Barry Christmas' host Hilltoppers (6-3-2, 5-2-2) as they strengthened their hold on second place in the MEC North Division standings.
     The Yellow Jackets (7-3-1, 6-2-1), who hold down second place in the MEC South, drew first blood on Wednesday with an unassisted goal by Alsina Montserrat in the 16th minute but that advantage proved short-lived.
     West Liberty equalized in the 27th minute when State failed to clear the ball out of the box and an opportunistic Alyssa Rhinaman one-timed a 20-yard blast into the right side of the cage, sending the match into halftime in a 1-1 tie.
     The Hilltoppers created several quality chances at the start of the second half and the pressure finally paid off, thanks to some quality work from Oskin. After penetrating all the way to the goal line at the right side of the box, Oskin somehow found Gualtiere on the doorstep with a perfectly-paced cross and Gualtiere nudged it home for the go-ahead score.
     The WLU defense and goalkeeper Olivia Montgomery closed out the win, turning aside several sustained Yellow Jacket attacks to keep the visitors off the board the rest of the way. State was charted with a 13-9 edge in shots in the up-tempo contest. Montgomery made six saves in net to earn the win.
     The Hilltoppers return to action on Sunday with a crucial North Division road game against Fairmont State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Fairmont.
  W.Va. State            1  0 – 1
West Liberty          1  1 – 2        WVSU: Alsina Montserrat (unassisted), 15:38
       WLU: Alyssa Rhinaman (unassisted), 26:55        WLU: Rileigh Gualtiere (Kaelyn Oskin), 54:05        Shots: W.Va. State 13, West Liberty 9
       Shots on Goal: W.Va. State 7, West Liberty 6
       Saves: W.Va. State 4 (Laura Galindo 4), West Liberty 6 (Olivia Montgomery 6)
       Corners: W.Va. State 4, West Liberty 0
A: 117