MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 4-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team will face Northwestern in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The match between the Mountaineers (17-2-1, 6-0-1) and the Wildcats (14-5-2, 7-3-1 Big Ten) is the second of two matches set for Friday at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Minnesota – Loyola Marymount will open the day’s action at 3 p.m. The winners from both matches will meet in the NCAA Tournament Third Round on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m., at DDSS.
Tickets for all three matches are on sale now at
WVUGAME.com. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and youth, and $2 for groups of 10 or more. Group tickets will only be available in advance and not at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium gate on game day. One ticket provides admission for both games Friday.
With the men’s basketball team playing at 7 p.m. Friday night, parking will be extremely limited in the parking lots around the WVU Coliseum Complex. Fans who arrive to park in the Natatorium/Band lot before 6 p.m. can park free of charge. Fans who arrive after 6 p.m. to park in the Natatorium/Band lot will be charged $10 for parking to attend either the soccer match or the basketball game.
Friday marks the Mountaineers’ first second-round appearance since 2013 and the 10th appearance in program history. WVU, a No. 2 overall seed, advanced following a 4-0 victory against Duquesne on Nov. 13, also in Morgantown. The squad looks to move on to the third round for the fourth time in 16 years and the first time since 2010.
“It’s so important for the fans to come out and support us this weekend,” said 20-year coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “It’s crucial for us to win this weekend at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Our team understands that our field is sacred ground – we don’t want to lose at home. This team prides itself on winning at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. We want to take advantage of the familiarity of playing in Morgantown and in front of Mountaineer Nation.”
WVU is 13-14-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, 8-6-2 in tournament home matches and 3-6 in second-round contests. In their last second-round appearance, the No. 7-ranked Mountaineers lost, 1-0, at No. 4-ranked and top-seeded Virginia Tech, on Nov. 22, 2013, at Thompson Field, in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Friday is the first-ever meeting between WVU and Northwestern. The Mountaineers are 3-0 against teams from the Big Ten Conference this season and 5-0 against first-time opponents.
“Northwestern finds a way to score. They aren’t a high-scoring team, but they find ways to win,” Izzo-Brown explained. “They’re very organized, too, and have a great defensive mentality, allowing them to deny opponent chances.”
WVU’s shutout against the Dukes last Friday was the team’s 14th of the season, matching the program single-season record first achieved by the 2010 squad. The Mountaineers’ clean sheet total ranks No. 2 in the NCAA. WVU has allowed just seven goals all season. The program record for fewest opponent goals prior to this season was 13. Senior Hannah Steadman ranks No. 3 nationally with a 0.369 goals-against average.
The Mountaineer offense has generated 52 goals this season, three short of the program single-season record, first hit in 2006. WVU ranks No. 5 nationally with a 2.60 goals/game average; the Mountaineers are the only team nationally to rank in the top five in shutout percentage (T-No. 3, 0.700) and scoring offense (No. 5, 2.60).
Sophomore forward Michaela Abam paces WVU with 10 goals on the season. She ranks second on the team with 22 points (10 G, 2 A). Senior forward Kailey Utley leads with 24 points (9 G, 6 A) and ranks No. 8 in the NCAA with six game-winning goals. Sophomores Carla Portillo and Amandine Pierre-Louis have each tallied two goals in the last four games.
“It was important for us to get four goals last week against Duquesne,” said Izzo-Brown. “We finished four quality opportunities, and that was a great statement from this team. Moving forward, we need to not only continue to secure shutouts, but also finish our chances.”
Northwestern advanced to the second round following a 1-0 double-overtime upset victory at No. 24 Washington State on Nov. 14. Sophomore forward Michelle Manning tallied the golden goal in the 104th minute, her third game-winner of the season. The Wildcats are 4-0-2 in overtime matches this season.
The shutout was the 12th of the year for sophomore Lauren Clem, who made five saves in the victory. NU ranks No. 8 nationally with a 0.503 goals-against average, No. 9 in save percentage (0.871) and No. 15 in shutout percentage (0.571).
Conversely, the Wildcats rank No. 198 nationally in scoring offense (1.24 goals/game). Junior forward Addie Steiner paces the NU offense with 21 points (7 G, 7 A). NU has tallied just 26 goals all season.
