Women's Soccer: BIG EAST Quarterfinal Set
October 29, 2011 11:14 AM | General
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKETMORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 13-ranked West Virginia women’s soccer team opens BIG EAST Championship play with a quarterfinal match against Seton Hall on Sunday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The Mountaineers earned a first round bye as the No. 1 seed in the American Division, by virtue of its fifth division title. Seton Hall, the No. 4 seed in the National Division, advanced to the quarterfinals following its 1-0 win over St. John’s on Oct. 27 in a first round match.
“I think having a week off is always good to rest up the legs,” says coach Nikki Izzo-Brown whose team last played a match on Oct. 21. “At the same time, you worry about the lack of game-speed reps in training. And when you’re in the postseason, you just have to get over it and get focused.”
West Virginia closed the regular season with a 14-4-0 record, including a 10-1-0 mark in BIG EAST play. The Mountaineers, winners of 12 of their last 13 matches, have qualified for the BIG EAST tournament in 12 straight years; a feat only Rutgers has equaled.
The Mountaineers are the defending BIG EAST champions, and are 7-1-2 in their last 10 conference tournament contests. WVU is 6-1-2 all-time in home BIG EAST tournament matches.
“We are excited to get back on the field and in front of our fans, but are also taking this championship one game at a time,” says Izzo-Brown. “I think they’ll come out focused against a good Seton Hall squad.”
WVU is 7-3-2 all-time against Seton Hall, including a 6-1-0 mark in Morgantown. The two teams played earlier this season, a 4-0 Mountaineer victory on Sept. 23 in Morgantown. West Virginia and Seton Hall have never met in BIG EAST tournament play.
Seton Hall is 9-7-3 on the season behind fourth-year coach Kazbek Tambi. The Pirates finished fourth in the National Division this season, earning entrance into the conference tournament for the sixth time in school history.
Senior captain Ashley Beamish scored in the 89th minute in SHU’s 1-0 win over St. John’s in Thursday’s BIG EAST first round match. The win marked the Pirates’ second postseason win in program history.
“Seton Hall’s front six is very capable of breaking down some of the top defenses in our conference,” says Izzo-Brown. “We saw how dangerous they can be in the first half of our game earlier this year. But this is also a different and more motivated team right now. They are going to come out and try to win a championship like everyone else.”
Senior Taylor Wilson leads the team in points with 14 on four goals and six assists, while teammate Katlyn Ritter leads the team in goals with six. Nine different Pirates have scored a goal this season.
Junior goalkeeper Jennifer Pettigrew has made 43 stops in 11 matches this season, splitting time with senior Elizabeth Bond. Both have allowed 14 goals and recorded three shutouts.
The winner of tomorrow’s match will advance to the BIG EAST semifinals on Nov. 4 at Dick Dlesk.
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