WVU Travels to No. 9 Rutgers
October 31, 2009 09:52 AM | General
October 31, 2009
MATCH NOTES | NIKKI IZZO-BROWN
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| Nikki Izzo-Brown |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia women’s soccer team’s quest for its second BIG EAST Championship in three years begins Sunday at Rutgers’ Yurcak Field. The Mountaineers travel to Piscataway, N.J., to battle the ninth-ranked Scarlet Knights at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 1-0 win at Providence on Oct. 25 that earned coach Nikki Izzo-Brown her 200th career win. Izzo-Brown improved her 15-year record as a head coach to 200-80-31, including a 14-year mark of 187-75-31 at WVU.
“It was a nice moment but more importantly we got the win to help us earn a bye,” says Izzo-Brown, when asked about her milestone victory. “It was great to win but you know what, 201 is more important to me right now. All I’m gearing up for is win number 201. That means we advanced and that is what is most important for this team and this program.”
The Mountaineers finished third in the BIG EAST American Division standings to earn a first-round bye for the fifth straight season. Rutgers also earned an opening-round bye after finishing second in the BIG EAST National Division.
“I think the bye is critical for us from a rest standpoint,” says Izzo-Brown whose team is competing in its 10th-straight BIG EAST tournament. “We closed out the regular season on the road over the past two weekends, and then have to get back on the road to play at Rutgers. It is critical for us to kind of collect ourselves, get healthy, get rested and move forward.”
West Virginia leads the all-time series with Rutgers by an 8-4-1 count and has won six of the last eight meetings. Last season, however, the Scarlet Knights posted a 1-0 victory in Piscataway during regular season play.
The last three meetings have all been decided by one-goal margins and WVU is 2-3-1 all-time in games played at Rutgers with wins coming in 2002 and 2004. West Virginia is 1-1 all-time against Rutgers in BIG EAST tournament play with both matches played in Storrs, Conn.
“I think it is a great matchup with both teams having some similarities in their systems of play,” says Izzo-Brown. “Going in and playing a team we did not see in the regular season is where we want to be. We are excited to have the opportunity to extend our season against a ranked opponent like Rutgers.”
The Mountaineers are led by two-time captain and All-American midfielder Carolyn Blank. The reigning BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year has started every match in her career, totaling 88 career starts. Her 88th career start at Providence last weekend pushed her past former All-Americans Chrissie Abbott and Lisa Stoia as the program’s career starts leader.
“Carolyn has been the backbone of this team all season long,” says Izzo-Brown on her senior captain. “She has been a warrior and is moving up in the record book against some pretty darn good All-Americans. We want to extend our postseason as long as we can and it starts with the strong play by Carolyn in the middle.”
Leading the West Virginia offense is all-BIG EAST forward Megan Mischler. The junior, who missed the final eight matches of last season with a broken fibula, leads the Mountaineers with five goals on the season including three game-winners.
The WVU defense has been outstanding as of late, posting shutouts in six of the last seven matches. Anchoring that defense is senior captain Nicole Mailloux and junior goalkeeper Kerri Butler. WVU, which has totaled 11 clean sheets on the season, has allowed only two goals in the last 670 minutes of play (seven games).
Rutgers is led by veteran coach Glenn Crooks, now in his 10th season at the helm of Scarlet Knights women’s soccer. Crooks has led RU to a 113-72-26 record and four NCAA tournament berths.
The Scarlet Knights sport a record of 13-2-4 on the season, including a 7-1-3 mark in BIG EAST contests. RU is coming off a 1-1 double overtime draw at Louisville on Oct. 25.
Senior goalkeeper Erin Guthrie anchors a Rutgers defense that has allowed only eight goals on the season – seven by Guthrie. A four-year starter, she earned All-America honors a year ago and was named the 2009 Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. Guthrie has played in 17 of 18 matches this fall, making 53 saves with a 0.41 goals-against average.
Leading the RU offense is forward Karla Schacher with five goals and three assists for 13 points. The junior, who redshirted last season to play with the Canadian U20 National Team, leads the team in shots with 51.
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 BIG EAST is continually one of the best soccer leagues in the country,” says Izzo-Brown. “Any one team in our conference can beat a higher-seeded team on any given day. Nothing comes easy this time of the year.”
Other BIG EAST quarterfinal matches this weekend include No. 4 USF at No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 3 Georgetown at No. 2 St. John’s and No. 4 Villanova at No. 1 Marquette.
The BIG EAST Championship is set for Nov. 6 and 8 at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium on the campus of Connecticut. The semifinals will be televised live on CBS College Sports at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, with the title game set for noon ET on Nov. 8. The championship match also will be shown locally on numerous regional sports networks.
Fans can follow the action via GameTracker by logging on to MSNsportsNET.com.
