Women's Soccer: WVU Travels To UConn, PC
October 22, 2009 12:46 PM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
October 22, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia women’s soccer team closes out regular season play with a pair of BIG EAST road matches this weekend. The Mountaineers travel to Connecticut for a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 23. WVU takes on Providence on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.
“It’s a big weekend for us,” says coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Obviously, we need to win and the outcome from both our matches will decide our division standing in the BIG EAST. There is a lot to play for against Connecticut and Providence.”
Connecticut is led by veteran coach Len Tsantiris, now in his 29th season at the helm of Huskie women’s soccer. Tsantiris has led UConn to a 473-143-41 record and 26 NCAA tournament appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Championship game in 1984, 1990, 1997 and 2003.
The Huskies sport a record of 10-6 on the season, including a 5-4-1 mark in BIG EAST contests. UConn is coming off a 2-1 win at DePaul on Oct. 18.
Leading the Huskie offense is freshman midfielder Linda Ruutu with a team-best eight goals and 20 points. Sophomore forward Melissa Busque has contributed six goals and six assists, and a team-high 47 shots.
Defensively, Connecticut is led by redshirt senior Brittany Taylor, who returns after sitting out 2008 with an ACL injury. The All-American defender likes to get forward and has tallied five assists on the season.
Sophomore Jessica Dulski takes over in goal following the departure of the 2008 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Stephanie Labbe. Dulski has made 70 saves, while allowing 18 goals in 15 matches.
Connecticut leads the all-time series with West Virginia by an 11-2-2 count, including a 7-1 edge in games played in Storrs, Conn. Last season, the teams played to a pair of draws (1-1 11/7/08; 0-0 10/12/08) with the Huskies winning a penalty kick shootout in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals.
Providence, which returns eight starters this season, enters the weekend with a 7-7-3 record under fifth-year coach Jim McGirr. In four-and-a-half seasons, McGirr has led the Friars to 25-48-14 record.
The Friars, 2-5-2 in BIG EAST play, battle Pitt tomorrow before Sunday’s match in Providence, R.I. Providence has posted league wins against Villanova and at USF, and is coming off a 2-0 loss at Notre Dame on Oct. 18.
Senior forward Jill Camburn leads PC in goals (seven), assists (three), points (17) and shots (45). Sophomore midfielder Courtney Collins and freshman forward Alyssa Gillespie have contributed two goals each.
A veteran back line anchors the Friar defense, helping PC posts six shutouts this season. Three different Friars have seen time between the posts with junior Jill Schott the regular starting goalkeeper. Schott is in her second seasons as the starter, making 49 saves while allowing 10 goals in10 matches.
The Mountaineers hold a 9-1-0 edge in the all-time series with the Friars. WVU is a perfect 5-0 in matches played in Providence, R.I. West Virginia has outscored PC 13-0 in its last four meetings.
Both weekend matches will be broadcast on tape-delay by Cox Sports Television. Cox is a regional sports network based out of Lincoln, R.I., and services Cox cable television systems in 19 Connecticut cities and towns in the state of Rhode Island.
Calling the action tomorrow against the Huskies will be John Tuite (play-by-play) and Jill Laufer (color). On Sunday against the Friars, Mike Rubin (play-by-play) and Chris Fama (color) will call the regular-season finale.
The 2009 BIG EAST Women’s Soccer Championship is a 10-team single elimination tournament. The top five teams in each division, seeded by conference point total, qualify for the championship. The top three teams in each division earn first-round byes to the quarterfinals.
The BIG EAST American Division is crowded at the top of the standings with seven of the eight teams still alive entering the final weekend of play. Marquette and USF sit atop the standings at 17 points each, while WVU holds the fifth position with 14 points.
BIG EAST National Division teams Notre Dame, Rutgers and Georgetown have already earned a spot in the 2009 BIG EAST tournament, and have all earned first round byes. Villanova and DePaul will likely hold off Cincinnati for the final two spots.
