No. 8 Women's Soccer Welcomes Baylor
October 30, 2014 04:37 PM | General
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With the 2014 Big 12 Conference regular-season title in hand, the No. 8-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team plays host to Baylor in its regular-season finale on Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Admission is free, courtesy of United Bank.
It’s “Senior Night,” and midfielder Ali Connelly, defender Jess Crowder, goalkeeper Katie Osterman and forward Kate Schwindel will be honored prior to first kick. It’s also “Alumni Night,” and past members of the WVU women’s soccer program will be recognized at halftime.
Fans are encouraged to celebrate Halloween at DDSS Friday night, and all are invited to wear their Halloween costumes. Youth fans may attend Trunk or Treat in the Coliseum band parking lot starting at 5:30 p.m. Additionally, the Mountaineer Maniacs will award prizes at halftime for the top-three costumes.
The Mountaineers (13-2-2, 6-0-1) look to become just the seventh team in Big 12 history to win the regular-season title without a loss, a feat the squad also achieved in 2012. The team has not dropped a home conference match since Oct. 2, 2009, a span of 25 matches.
WVU looks to push its unbeaten streak to 15 matches; if it does so, the team will have played the entire months of September and October without a loss.
“Baylor is a tough team to play against – they disrupt what you do well,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “They are very physical and hard-working. Because of their physical play, they can score on any chance. They’re a tough team, and we need to focus and take care of business tomorrow night.
“This is a huge game for us. We are still playing for a lot, including a national seed in the NCAA Tournament. We want to finish the regular-season strong and send our seniors out with a win.”
WVU is 2-0-1 all-time against the Bears (8-7-2, 2-4-1). The squads last met in the semifinal of the 2013 Big 12 Soccer Tournament, with the top-seeded Mountaineers earning a 1-0 win over No. 5-seed BU, on Nov. 8, at Swope Soccer Village, in Kansas City, Missouri. Frances Silva tallied the game-winner on a free kick in the 52nd minute. Both teams registered 14 shots, with WVU earning a 5-2 edge in shots on-goal. BU tallied a 6-3 corner kick advantage.
The Mountaineers enter their regular-season finale having won their last six straight matches. The squad clinched its third straight Big 12 regular-season title with a 3-1 victory over Oklahoma on Oct. 26 in Morgantown. Prior to that win, the team used two goals from junior forward Kailey Utley, including the golden goal in the 103rd minute, to come from behind and defeat Oklahoma State, 2-1, on Oct. 24.
WVU ranks No. 1 in the Big 12, No. 17 nationally, in scoring offense (2.41 goals/game). The squad shows the same rankings for points (6.82 per game). The Mountaineers have shut out eight opponents this season and rank No. 3 in the Big 12, No. 50 nationally, with a 0.796 goals-against average.
Utley paces WVU with 15 points (5 G, 5 A), the sixth-best total in the Big 12. Schwindel shows a team-best six goals and ranks fifth in the Big 12. Utley and sophomore midfielder Ashley Lawrence are tied at No. 3 in the conference with a team-best five assists.
Winless in three of their last four matches, the Bears come to Morgantown looking to improve their seeding for the 2014 Big 12 Soccer Tournament. BU is tied with OU for sixth place with seven points. The Bears’ lone conference wins have come against Iowa State (2-0, Sept. 28) and OU (2-1, Oct. 19).
BU ranks No. 4 in the conference in scoring offense (1.59 goals/game). The team is averaging 4.24 points-per-game, the fifth-best average in the Big 12. Forwards Bri Campos (6 G, 2 A) and Justine Hovden (5 G, 4 A) pace with 14 points each.
Eight Big 12 teams will play in a regular-season finale Friday evening. The 2014 Big 12 Soccer Tournament field will be announced late tomorrow night. WVU, the No. 1 seed, could face OU, BU or TCU in the first round on Nov. 5.
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