INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The West Liberty University women's soccer team saw its season come to a close Sunday afternoon with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to top-seeded West Virginia State in the Mountain East Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Lakin-Ray Field at Dickerson Stadium.

Goalkeeper Cianna Butera was outstanding in net for the Hilltoppers, recording 11 saves to keep West Liberty within striking distance throughout the match.

Both teams traded chances early in a tightly contested first half. Perla Bäckberg forced an early save from Yellow Jacket keeper Poppy Bastock in the fifth minute, while Butera answered with several key stops of her own to deny Sara París Fílter and Madison Rose Fortin. The half featured plenty of physical play, with West Virginia State earning a yellow card in the 34th minute and both defenses standing tall to send the match into halftime scoreless.

The decisive moment came in the 55th minute, when Leila Karam broke through for the hosts, finishing a pass from Sharon Freire Omonigho to give the Yellow Jackets a 1-0 lead. Butera continued to shine in goal, making several more saves down the stretch to keep the Hilltoppers within reach.

West Liberty pressed for an equalizer late, highlighted by a dangerous effort from Corinne Westbrook that was turned aside by Bastock, but the Hilltoppers couldn't find the back of the net before the final whistle.

Bäckberg and Westbrook each registered a shot on goal for the Hilltoppers, while Butera's 11-save performance marked one of her best outings of the season.

The loss ends West Liberty's season at 4-14-1, marking the third straight Mountain East Conference Tournament appearance for Head Coach Pete McMenemy's program.