MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 2/3-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens a two-game Big 12 Conference season-ending roadtrip at Oklahoma State on Friday, Oct. 23. First kick from the Cowgirl Soccer Complex in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is set for 8 p.m.
With a win tomorrow night, the Mountaineers (14-1-1, 5-0-1) would clinch at least a share of their fourth straight Big 12 Conference regular-season title. WVU would be the first conference team to win four straight championships since Texas A&M did so from 2004-07.
“Every game, you play for a championship, and we could accomplish one of our season goals this weekend,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “This team wants to get better every game, and ultimately that’s what we’re trying to do against Oklahoma State. There’s just the added bonus that we’re also playing for a ring Friday night.”
Friday’s match will feature three of the world’s best young international players, as Mountaineer juniors Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence, as well as Cowgirl junior Courtney Dike, all competed at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada. Buchanan and Lawrence advanced to the quarterfinals with Canada, while Dike earned playing time with Nigeria.
The Mountaineers ride a 14-match unbeaten streak into Friday’s match. Twelve of the Mountaineers’ 14 wins, a nation-best mark, have been shutouts, and WVU shows 13 clean sheets on the season, also an NCAA-best total and one short of the program single-season record, first set in 2010.
Friday is the fifth meeting between the Mountaineers and the Cowgirls (8-6-2, 1-2-2). Each of the four previous matches has been decided by one goal.
“OSU is a battler – they’re fighters,” said Izzo-Brown. “Their record does not dictate how good they are. It’s going to be very interesting. It’s going to be a battle Friday night.”
In their last meeting, WVU came back from a one-goal deficit to defeat OSU, 2-1, in double-overtime on Oct. 24, 2014, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Senior forward Kailey Utley tallied both goals, including the golden goal in the 103rd minute. Both teams netted their first goals in the 79th minute, with Utley scoring just 49 seconds after Allie Stephenson put OSU on the board. Hannah Steadman made three saves in the match, while Rosa Medina tallied 11 for the Cowgirls.
Steadman has earned credit for 10 of the team’s 13 shutouts this season. The Kinnelon, New, Jersey, native ranks No. 3 nationally, No. 1 in the Big 12, in goals-against average (0.268). Steadman and the WVU defense has allowed just four goals this season. Mountaineer opponents have earned a combined 80 shot attempts for a 0.50 shot percentage.
WVU is the only team to rank in the top five nationally in shutout percentage (No. 2, 0.813) and scoring offense (No. 5, 2.75). Sophomore forward Michaela Abam paces with a Big 12 Conference-best 10 goals, the fourth-best sophomore total in program history. Utley ranks No. 1 in the conference with 22 points (8 G, 6 A). The St. Louis, Missouri, native has tallied five game-winners this season and ranks No. 9 nationally.
OSU earned its first Big 12 victory of the season and pushed its win streak to three with a 1-0 decision at Iowa State on Oct. 16. Stephenson scored the game winner in the 68th minute, and sophomore Michela Ongaro made two saves for her fourth shutout of the season.
A forward, Dike paces the Cowgirls with five goals. The Edmond, Oklahoma, native ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 Conference with a 0.40 assists/game average.
