Women's Soccer: WVU Travels To No. 5 Penn State
November 22, 2007 11:16 AM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
November 23, 2007
NCAA BRACKET
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| Nikki Izzo-Brown |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The 10th-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team travels to University Park, Pa., for a match against fifth-ranked Penn State in third round action of the 2007 NCAA Championships. The Mountaineers (17-4-2) and Nittany Lions (18-3-2) will kick off at 1 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 24, at Jeffrey Field.
West Virginia makes only its second NCAA round of 16 appearance, matching its deepest postseason run with the 2003 team. WVU carries a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1) into the weekend and has lost only once in its last 15 games (12-1-2).
Penn State makes its ninth NCAA round of 16 appearance and advanced to the NCAA elite eight a year ago. The Nittany Lions, 10-time reigning Big Ten Champions, ride a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) into the weekend.
“Penn State has a strong tradition in the NCAA tournament, and we respect what they’ve been able to do,” said Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Playing a quality team like Penn State though has allowed our team to stay focused. Our ladies are very excited about the opportunity in front of them and about the idea of continuing their season by advancing to the next round.”
Saturday’s contest is the fifth in the all-time series with each team winning a pair of games. Penn State won the first two meetings (2003 and 2005) with WVU wining the last two (2006 and 2007).
The Nittany Lions look forward to playing at home where they are 21-0-1 in their last 22 games. Ironically, the last team to beat Penn State at home was West Virginia, a 2-1 decision on Sept. 8, 2006.
West Virginia also has been stung by Penn State in its only postseason meeting. The Nittany Lions ended the Mountaineers’ season in 2005 with a 5-2 victory in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
“We have played some big games (with Penn State) in the past, and I expect this one to be another challenging game,” said Izzo-Brown. “We beat them early in the season but their team has changed a lot since then. We’ll have to battle on Saturday, and our ladies are ready to go.”
Since allowing an early goal in a 3-1 win over Marquette on Oct. 28, goalkeeper Kerri Butler and the Mountaineer defense have allowed only one goal in their last 557 minutes and 24 seconds of play. Anchored by a strong back line, the WVU defense has recorded 12 shutouts this season, one shy of the school record set a year ago.
The winner of Saturday’s match will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals against the winner of second-seed USC and third-seed Florida.
A live radio broadcast with Michael Minnich calling the action is available for free on MSNsportsNET.com.
