MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With a trip to the 2015 NCAA College Cup on the line, the No. 4-ranked and second-seeded West Virginia University women’s soccer team meets No. 6-ranked and top-seeded Penn State in the NCAA Tournament “Elite Eight” on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 4 p.m., at Jeffrey Field, in University Park, Pennsylvania.
The Mountaineers (19-2-1, 6-0-1), the 2015 Big 12 Conference regular-season champions, and the Nittany Lions (19-3-2, 8-2-1 Big Ten), the 2015 Big Ten Conference regular-season and tournament champions, will battle for one of four tickets to the tournament semifinals. WVU advanced to the NCAA “Elite Eight” for the second time in program history and the first time since 2007. The Mountaineers have never played in the College Cup.
“Saturday is going to be a great game,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, one win short of career victory No. 300. “We’re going to have to execute our game plan, and our players are going to have to do their jobs. We’re going to have to pressure Penn State.”
Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and Penn State students, and $3 for groups of 20 or more. Ticket sales at the gate are cash only. Parking is free for fans attending the soccer match.
Saturday is the second meeting of the season between the two teams. The Mountaineers evened the all-time series record to 6-6-1 with a 1-0 victory over then No. 5/7 PSU on Sept. 4, in Morgantown. In a game riddled with weather delays, senior midfielder Amanda Hill tallied the lone score in the eighth minute. The WVU defense held PSU to eight shots, with only two landing on-frame.
“I didn’t know what some of our players were capable of doing in that first game, and I most definitely have a better idea of what each player can do for us and what each player can bring,” Izzo-Brown explained. “Three months ago, I don’t think the patterns and habits were there, nor was the confidence. We’re definitely a different team.”
WVU and PSU have met three times before in the NCAA Tournament, with the Mountaineers showing a 2-1 record. WVU has won the last two meetings, a 2-1 second round victory on Nov. 14, 2010, in Morgantown, and a 1-0 win the in third round on Nov. 24, 2007, in University Park. The victory at PSU is WVU’s lone tournament road win. The Mountaineers are 1-7 all-time in away NCAA Tournament matches, and 1-1 in tournament matches in University Park.
WVU and PSU are the two most prolific scoring teams still standing in the tournament, as the squads have tallied 28 goals through the first three rounds, with the Nittany Lions totaling 15 to the Mountaineers’ 13. PSU has not allowed an opponent goal in the tournament and rides a five-match shutout streak into Saturday’s game. WVU has two clean sheets through the first three rounds.
“Saturday is going to come down to which team pressures the most while limiting its mistakes and capitalizing on its opportunities,” said Izzo-Brown. “It has to be the team that wants it the most and is focused on the win. A win Saturday on Penn State’s home field is going to take a tremendous amount of focus and energy.”
The Mountaineers look to continue their record-setting season Saturday afternoon. The winningest team in the program’s 20-year history, WVU also has tallied a record 15 shutouts and scored a record 61 goals.
Anchored by All-America center back Kadeisha Buchanan, the WVU defense has allowed just nine opponent goals all year, a program single-season record. Senior Hannah Steadman is credited with 12 of the team’s 15 shutouts, the second-best season total in program history, and ranks No. 1 all-time with a career 0.55 goals-against average (GAA).
Forwards Kailey Utley and Michaela Abam pace the Mountaineers with 12 goals each, the 10th-best single-season total in program history. They are the second Mountaineer pair to score at least 12 goals in one season. Chrissie Abbott (15) and Katie Barnes (12) combined for 27 goals in 2001.
Utley, a senior and native of St. Louis, Missouri, shows a team-best 30 points (12 G, 6 A). She is the 11th player in program history to score 30+ points. She ranks No. 4 in the NCAA with seven game-winning goals.
The Nittany Lions have held their opponents to one goal or less in their last 20 matches, with only two opponents scoring two goals each. Senior Britt Eckerstrom owns a 0.51 GAA and has posted nine shutouts while making 61 saves.
Twelve different student-athletes have netted a goal for PSU this season. Sophomore forward Megan Schafer paces the team with 29 points (13 G, 3 A). Senior forward Mallory Weber shows a team-best 10 assists.
