Inn at St. Mary's Classic
August 28, 2008 03:41 PM | General
August 28, 2008
GAME NOTES
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The 10th-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team will get its season into full swing this weekend when they travel to South Bend, Ind., to participate in the Inn at St. Mary’s Classic. West Virginia will open the tournament on Friday night against the 12th-ranked Santa Clara at 5:00 p.m. The Mountaineers will then return to action on Sunday when they take on Loyola-Marymount at 11 a.m.
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| Amanda Cicchini is one of three Hermann Trophy candidates that will be on the field Friday night when West Virginia takes on Santa Clara.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
This will be the first of back-to-back tournaments for the Mountaineers as they will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., next weekend to take part in the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic. West Virginia will be facing Tennessee and Washington State in that tournament.
After posting three wins against top 25 teams last season the Mountaineers have the opportunity to improve on that number as they will have already played two Top 25 programs by the end of next weekend. Future opponents Virginia and Connecticut are also currently ranked, making a total of four.
“I think it’s critical for us to see the areas we need to get better at before we go into BIG EAST play,” Head Coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “For us to have the opportunity to really recognize some of the areas that might not be very good and what we need to correct as a team is so important and also on the other side what we’re doing right and what we need to keep focusing on in a positive standpoint.”
Friday’s match will be the first time that the Mountaineers have ever faced perennial powerhouse Santa Clara and even though they are ranked lower than West Virginia, it will be a very difficult match up for the Mountaineers.
“In the soccer world Santa Clara is a program that has respect. They have youth National Team players on their team and you look at players in Beijing who were produced through Santa Clara,” Izzo-Brown said. “We know the strong tradition that Santa Clara has and what they’re all about. That’s a program that we would love to have the same type of reputation and tradition.”
Santa Clara opened its season last week with a 3-0 win against San Jose State. The Broncos’ defense held San Jose State to no shots on goal or corner kicks and only allowed four total shots.
If the Mountaineers can come out on top against Santa Clara it will be a huge step for the program, considering the Broncos are a former national championship team and have a loaded roster full of National Team talent, including Hermann Trophy Watch List member Kiki Bosio.
The junior forward has played in 42 games and has tallied 10 goals and 14 assists in her two-year career.
Mountaineer midfielder Amanda Cicchini and defender Greer Barnes will raise the total of Hermann Trophy Watch List members on the field to three.
The contest against Loyola-Marymount will be a first-time opponent as well for Izzo-Brown and her squad. However, the veteran coach is very familiar with Loyola-Marymount head coach Joe Mallia.
“Joe is a very organized, disciplined coach. He was an assistant at UCLA and he’s a winner,” Izzo-Brown said. “I think they were very competitive at the end of their season last year, so I know it’s going to be a real tough game for us.”
The Lions battled UNLV and came away with a 1-1 tie last Friday night and will be looking to grab their first win of the early season.
“To be the best, you need to play the best,” Izzo-Brown said. “There is no secret there, but for us, every opportunity to be exposed is going to be critical in our development and we want to be the best at the end of the season so this will give us a chance.”
West Virginia started its season at home last weekend with an impressive 3-0 win against Towson. Carolyn Blank, Megan Mischler and Chelsey Corroto all recorded goals while the stingy Mountaineer defense held Towson to no shots on goal and only one shot overall.
Other games this weekend in the tournament have Notre Dame battling Loyola-Marymount on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Notre Dame taking on Santa Clara at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Fans can follow both West Virginia matches via CBS College Sports GameTracker.
