Women's Soccer: WVU Ready For Road Trip
August 26, 2010 09:20 AM | General
August 26, 2010
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| Kerri Butler |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia women’s soccer team takes to the road for the first time in 2010, beginning with a match at Bowling Green on Friday, Aug. 27, at 5 p.m. The Mountaineers conclude weekend play in Columbus, Ohio, with a 1 p.m. match at Ohio State on Sunday, Aug. 29.
West Virginia is 3-0 all-time against the Falcons, including a 1-0 mark at BG’s Cochrane Field. The two teams last met in 2007 with WVU posting a 4-0 victory at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The Falcons are led by 11th-year coach Andy Richards. Bowling Green returns eight starters and 17 letter winners from last season.
“Bowling Green is coming off an overtime game against Cincinnati,” says coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “They return almost every starter and most of their award winners from last season. We have to be ready to play on the road and Friday presents a good challenge for this team.”
WVU holds a slight 3-2-1 lead in the all-time series against Ohio State. The Mountaineers are 1-1 all-time in matches played in Columbus and the two teams played to a scoreless double overtime draw to open the 2009 season in Morgantown.
Lori Walker is in her 14th season at the helm of Buckeye soccer, leading five different OSU teams to the NCAA tournament. Ohio State returns nine starters and 20 letterwinners from last season’s NCAA team.
“Ohio State also returns a bulk of its team and Sunday is going to be a battle,” says Izzo-Brown. “They play a physical game and we have to be prepared to go in and get the job done against one of the top teams in the Big Ten.”
The Mountaineers are coming off a close 2-1 overtime defeat against 11th-ranked Penn State. Sophomore Bri Rodriguez netted the first goal of 2010 for WVU and senior Kerri Butler matched her career high with nine saves.
“We are only as good as our last game and this team is anxious to get back out there,” adds Izzo-Brown.
West Virginia has won three of its last four road openers, including wins at No. 5 Penn State and No. 20 Tennessee the last two seasons.
Live Stats are available for both matches at BGSUFalcons.com and OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
