BIG EAST Semifinal Preview
November 04, 2009 03:16 PM | General
November 5, 2009
MATCH NOTES
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| Megan Mischler |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The 24th-ranked West Virginia women’s soccer team resumes BIG EAST Championship play with a semifinal match on Friday, Nov. 6, against 10th-ranked Marquette. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium on the campus of Connecticut.
West Virginia, competing in its eighth BIG EAST semifinal, earned a first-round bye after claiming the No. 3 seed in the American Division. The Mountaineers defeated then-ninth-ranked Rutgers 1-0, the No. 2 seed in the National Division, last weekend in Piscataway, N.J.
“We played really well at Rutgers and that confidence should carry over into the weekend,” says coach Nikki Izzo-Brown who has never lost to Marquette in five outings. “You always want to play your best soccer at the end of the year and I think we are close to doing that right now.”
Marquette makes its fourth appearance in the semifinal round after joining the BIG EAST in 2005. After an opening-round bye, top-seeded Marquette defeated Villanova, 1-0, in a BIG EAST quarterfinal match last weekend in Milwaukee, Wis.
The Mountaineers and Golden Eagles have never met in postseason play, as all five meetings have taken place during the regular season. However, tomorrow’s contest serves as a rematch of the regular season meeting where WVU posted a 1-0 victory in Morgantown on Sept. 24.
Leading the West Virginia offense is all-BIG EAST forward Megan Mischler. The junior leads the Mountaineers with 12 points on five goals and two assists.
The WVU defense has been outstanding as of late, posting shutouts in seven of the last eight matches. Anchoring that defense is senior captain Nicole Mailloux and junior goalkeeper Kerri Butler. The Mountaineers have limited nine different opponents to two shots on-goal or less on the season.
Marquette is riding an eight-match unbeaten streak and has won five straight matches. The Golden Eagles won their first conference division title after finishing with an 8-1-2 record in the American Division. MU’s lone loss of conference play came at the hands of West Virginia.
“Marquette is very well-coached and it was a battle two months ago,” says Izzo-Brown of the rematch. “But both teams have improved as the season has progressed. We’ve had time to correct our weaknesses and identify what our strengths are. Knowing (coach) Markus (Roeders), I know they are going to be a better team than what we saw during the regular season.”
Leading MU is 14th-year coach Markus Roeders, who has guided his teams to seven NCAA tournament appearances. Marquette features a deep roster that sports an overall record of 14-4-2 with 14 shutouts on the season.
Sophomore Rachael Sloan leads the Marquette offense with 15 points on five goals and five assists. Senior Becky Ryan has contributed four goals and one assist for nine points. Fourteen different players have recorded a goal this season for the Golden Eagles.
Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Kulla has made 44 stops and allowed only 10 goals in all 1875 minutes of action. The MU defense has not allowed a goal since Oct. 9 – a span of six matches.
Friday’s second semifinal match features fourth-ranked and National Division top-seed Notre Dame against American Division No. 2 seed St. John’s. Should the Mountaineers advance, the championship final is schedule for Sunday, Nov. 8 at noon.
All three championship matches will be televised live on the CBS College Sports Network, with the championship match also shown locally on numerous regional sports networks including West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPBS). Calling the action for the 2009 Women’s Soccer BIG EAST Championship will be Ann Schatz (play-by-play) and Tammy Blackburn (color). This marks the 16th consecutive year in which the BIG EAST Championship will be televised.
