No. 13 Mountaineers Conclude Homestand
September 18, 2014 02:07 PM | General
LIVE SCORES | FREE VIDEO
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 13-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team concludes its eight-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium this weekend with a pair of matches.
The Mountaineers (5-2-1) face La Salle on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m., and Villanova on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m.
Friday is WVU Faculty/Staff Night, and all faculty and staff received a coupon via email for free admission. Tickets for the general public are $5 for adults and just $3 for youth and seniors. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each.
Sunday is a “Dollar Day,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas available for $1 each. Additionally, a postgame clinic is scheduled, with kids 13 and under who attend the match are invited to a free clinic at Dreamswork Field following the competition. Also, the match is “Camper Reunion Day,” and all women’s soccer campers from this past summer are asked to wear their camp t-shirt to the game.
A free WVU shuttle bus will be available from the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop for an hour leading up to Sunday’s start time. Return service to the Mountainlair and the Brooke/Braxton Towers loop also will be available for an hour at the conclusion of the match.
The Mountaineers ride a five-match unbeaten streak into Friday’s meeting with the Explorers, WVU’s fourth opponent this season that appeared in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
“We are facing another challenge Friday night, as we have most Fridays early this year,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “This team does not shy away from challenges, and we’re always looking for ways to improve. La Salle is going to push us tomorrow night, and we need to be ready to fight for a result.”
WVU and La Salle met once before, a 2-1 Explorer victory in the Mountaineers’ 2012 season opener at DDSS on August 17. Ranked No. 20 at the time, WVU was up 1-0 before allowing two second-half goals in the span of six minutes.
“We have a few girls on this year’s squad that were here in 2012 and know how physical La Salle can be,” Izzo-Brown said. “This team is going to be in our face, and we’re going to have to stay focused and play with a purpose. It’s good to see this team now before our Big 12 season starts.”
La Salle moved to 3-2-2 last weekend with a 1-0-1 showing against Princeton and James Madison at McCarthy Stadium, in Philadelphia. The Explorers played to a 2-2 draw against the Tigers on Sept. 12, and earned a 2-1 win over JMU on Sept. 14. Senior forward Kelsey Haycook, the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, tallied a goal in each contest.
Former foes in the Big East Conference, WVU owns a 9-5-5 all-time series edge over the Wildcats. Sunday’s meeting will be the teams’ first since 2011, a 4-1 WVU loss at VU. The defeat snapped WVU’s seven-match win streak and handed the team its first conference loss of the year.
The Wildcats (2-4-1) are coming off a 2-1 loss at Princeton on Sept. 14, falling on a header by the Tigers in the 89th minute. Prior to the defeat, the Wildcats defeated visiting JMU, 3-0, on Sept. 12. Freshman forward Amanda Vocelka, the reigning Big East Rookie of the Week, assisted on the game-winning goal against JMU and the game-tying goal against the Tigers.
VU will play host to Towson tomorrow evening before traveling to Morgantown.
WVU’s defense has held its own during the first three weeks of the team’s homestand, as the unit has allowed only four goals in six matches and posted three shutouts. Not to be outdone, the Mountaineer offense is averaging 2.17 goals at DDSS in 2014; WVU is 5-0-0 when scoring two or more goals this season.
“We want to make sure we’re tightening up this weekend and preparing ourselves for Big 12 play,” Izzo-Brown explained. “We have to utilize our strengths and continue to eliminate our weaknesses. Consistency is huge for this team at this point in the year.”
Senior forward Kate Schwindel and sophomore defender Kadeisha Buchanan own a team-best three goals, the seventh-best total in the Big 12 Conference; the goal output triples Buchanan’s 2013 total. Schwindel (3 G, 1 A) and junior forward Kelsie Maloney (2 G, 3 A) pace with seven points each.
SWIM: What it Means to Represent West Virginia
Wednesday, April 29
SWIM: What it Means to Become a Mountaineer
Wednesday, April 29
Gold-Blue Spring Festival Fan Recap
Sunday, April 19
John Neider | April 18
Saturday, April 18
