Women's Soccer: Two-Game Road Tournament
August 27, 2008 06:07 PM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
August 28, 2008
GAME NOTES
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| Nikki Izzo-Brown |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 10/11 West Virginia University women’s soccer team travels to Notre Dame, Ind., to participate in the Inn at Saint Mary’s Classic on Aug. 29-31. The Mountaineers will square off against No. 12/21 Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount in the two-game road tournament.
West Virginia, now in the program’s 13th year, has never faced the Broncos or Lions on the pitch. WVU takes on Santa Clara Friday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m., and Loyola Marymount on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m. All games will be played at Notre Dame’s Alumni Field with the Irish facing both of WVU’s opponents.
“This weekend will be a challenge for us and it’s critical for us to see the areas we need to get better at before we go into BIG EAST play,” WVU Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “I always say to be the best, you need to play the best. And we are doing that this weekend and next. We need to be ready to play a full 90 minutes each time out.”
The Mountaineers are coming off a 3-0 shutout of Towson in their season-opener last weekend. WVU received goals from midfielder Carolyn Blank, forward Chelsey Corroto and forward Megan Mischler. Corroto’s goal came just 2 minutes, 7 seconds into her career, making her one of four Mountaineers all-time to score a goal in the first game of her freshman season.
Santa Clara opened the 2008 season with a 3-0 win over San Jose State in Santa Clara. The Broncos received goals from forwards Lexi Orand, Jenny LaPonte and Anessa Patton. SC is lead by 22-year veteran coach Jerry Smith, owner of 339 career wins and a 2001 national championship. The Broncos also feature a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy candidate in junior forward Kiki Bosio.
LMU opened the season with a 1-1 draw against UNLV in Los Angeles. Trailing 1-0 at the half, the Lions tied the match with a goal in the 50th minute by senior forward Lauren Shanklin. Loyola is led by second-year coach Joe Mallia who seeks his 100th career victory over the weekend.
This weekend’s matches are the first of consecutive weekend tournaments for the Mountaineers. WVU travels to Knoxville, Tenn., for contests with nationally ranked Tennessee and Washington State on Sept. 5-7.
