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No. 5/8 WVU Prepped for Weekend Matches
September 10, 2015 04:24 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 5/8-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team is set for a two-match weekend.
The Mountaineers will play at RV/15 Ohio State on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m., at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field in Columbus, Ohio. WVU then opens a five-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium against Longwood on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.
Tickets for Sunday’s match are $3 for youth and $5 for adults. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each, and admission is free for WVU students with a valid student I.D. Tickets can be purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com.
Weather permitting, WVU will host a clinic for kids 13 and under following Sunday’s game at the recreational field just outside the stadium’s main gate. It also is “Camper Reunion Day,” with free admission for those who wear their 2015 camp t-shirt. Additionally, kids under 13 who bring a completed Musket Coloring Sheet to the DDSS gate will receive one free youth admission and will be entered into a drawing to win a plush Musket toy.
A free 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 carry their second-highest ranking ever into this weekend’s matches. The squad has posted four straight shutouts since dropping a 2-1 decision to No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Aug. 23 and is coming off two decisive wins, a 1-0 victory against No. 5/7 Penn State on Sept. 4 and an 8-0 victory against Villanova on Sept. 6.
“There’s a huge target on our back going into this weekend,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “Ohio State is a very physical team, and there’s no doubt that they would like to take our national ranking. I have a lot of respect for the Ohio State players, and I know it’s going to be total battle Friday night.”
WVU ranks sixth nationally in shutout percentage (0.833). Three of the team’s shutouts are credited to senior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman, who boasts a 0.391 goals-against average.
The Mountaineers rank No. 9 nationally in points/game average (8.83) and No. 12 in scoring offense (3.00 goals/game). Senior forward Kailey Utley ranks No. 9 nationally, No. 1 in the Big 12, with a 0.83 assists/game average. She paces the team and the Big 12 with 11 points (3 G, 5 A). Sophomore forward Michaela Abam, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, is tops on the team and in the conference with five goals. She ranks No. 32 in the NCAA with a 0.833 goals/game average.
“I think those eight goals Sunday should help this team’s confidence,” Izzo-Brown added. “Any time our attack is able to put a goal into the back of the net, we should gain more confidence in ourselves. We were hitting posts and crossbars at the beginning of the season, so we should feel good about completing more and more of our chances.”
Friday’s match against OSU is WVU’s third in as many weeks against a Big Ten Conference opponent. The Mountaineers (5-0-1) are 2-0 against the conference, having defeated Maryland and the Nittany Lions by 1-0 decisions. OSU owns a 4-3-1 all-time series edge. In the last meeting, the Buckeyes defeated the Mountaineers, 2-0, on Sept. 1, 2011, in Morgantown.
OSU (4-0-1), WVU’s third ranked opponent of the season, most recently earned a 3-1 win against FIU on Sept. 4, in Columbus. Junior forward Nichelle Prince paces the team with three goals and nine points, while junior goalkeeper Jillian McVicker shows 10 saves and ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten with a 0.56 goals-against average.
OSU averages 2.40 goals/game and 7.40 points/game, while also maintaining a 0.40 shutout percentage.
The Mountaineers will return to Morgantown for a match against Longwood (3-3) Sunday. The Lancers are the third of five first-time opponents WVU will face this season.
The Lancers tallied their third shutout of the year with a 3-0 win at VMI on Sept. 8. The three scores were a season high for Longwood. The squad has allowed more than one goal just once this season.
Longwood averages 1.00 goals/game and boasts a 0.40 shutout percentage and a 1.20 goals-against average.
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