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No. 4/5 Mountaineers Open Big 12 Season
September 24, 2015 04:26 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 4/5 West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens the defense of its three straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles against Texas on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Tickets are $3 for youth and seniors, and $5 for adults. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each, and WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU student ID. Tickets are available for purchase at WVUGAME.com and at the stadium ticket office.
A special ceremony recognizing the program’s 20th season will take place prior to first kick. Mountaineer alums also will be honored at halftime as part of alumni weekend, and a commemorative poster will be available for fans.
All fans will have the opportunity to take their picture with the team’s 2014 Big 12 regular-season and championship trophies prior to kickoff Friday night. Additionally, the first 200 fans through the gate will receive a WVU Big 12 t-shirt, and the first 100 Mountaineer Maniacs will receive gym shorts.
“This is a huge game for our fans – we’re going to need everyone out Friday night to cheer us on,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “When we go to Texas, they get more than 4,000 fans in their stands. We’ll need that type of support behind us as we open our conference season.”
The Mountaineers (9-1) were slotted at No. 1 in the 2015 Big 12 Conference Soccer Preseason Poll. WVU has been picked to finish first by the league’s eight head coaches each season but its first in the Big 12.
WVU owns a 3-1-1 all-time series edge against the Longhorns (3-2-3) and has not dropped a match since joining the Big 12 Conference. The squads went 1-0-1 against each other last year. WVU earned a 2-0 win in Austin on Sept. 28, and the teams played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference Championship on Nov. 7, in Kansas City, Missouri. The Mountaineers advanced to the conference final on a 6-5 edge in penalty kicks.
“Texas is one of those teams in the Big 12 that is going to cause all types of problems,” said Izzo-Brown. “We know they have a great team and great athletes – they won at UCLA. They’ll be organized and ready, and we know it’s going to be a battle Friday night. I think there will definitely be some emotion Friday night, especially given the way we last moved past them at the conference championship. Both teams are definitely going to be motivated Friday night.”
WVU rides a program-best eight-match shutout streak into Friday. The Mountaineers have nine clean sheets on the season, the NCAA’s top mark as of Sept. 24, and rank No. 3 nationally, No. 1 in the Big 12, with a 0.900 shutout percentage. The team is four shutouts short of matching the program single-season record of 14.
The WVU defense has held its opponents to a combined 44 shots, with only 14 landing on frame. The Mountaineers rank No. 4 in the NCAA with a 0.199 goals-against average (GAA). Senior Hannah Steadman is fifth nationally with a 0.230 GAA. The Kinnelon, New Jersey, native ranks No. 1 in the program record book with a 0.55 career GAA.
The Mountaineer offense ranks No. 17 nationally, No. 1 in the conference, with a 2.60 goals/game average. The team’s 24 assists, 26 goals and 76 points all rank No. 8 in the NCAA.
Senior forward Kailey Utley paces the team and ranks No. 20 nationally, No. 1 in the Big 12, with 17 points (6 G, 5 A). The St. Louis, Missouri, native’s point and goal totals are career single-season bests.
Sophomore forward Michaela Abam ranks No. 17 nationally, No. 1 in the Big 12, with seven goals. The Houston native is one score short of matching her 2014 output.
WVU closed its nonconference slate with a pair of 1-0 wins at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium last weekend, defeating Buffalo in overtime on an own goal on Sept. 18, and Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 20. Utley tallied the game-winner against the Eagles in the 48th minute, her team- and Big 12-best third of the season.
The Longhorns are 1-1-1 against ranked teams this year, losing to No. 5 North Carolina, 2-0, on Aug. 28, drawing No. 18 Ohio State, 0-0, on Aug. 30, and defeating No. 14 UCLA, 2-1, on Sept. 6.
No UT player shows more than four points on the season, with senior midfielder Lindsey Meyer pacing with two goals. The Longhorns have scored six goals in eight games and have held opponents to seven scores. Senior goalkeeper Abby Smith shows 47 saves on the season and ranks No. 4 in the Big 12 with a 0.808 GAA.
The Longhorns last settled for a 0-0 double-overtime draw against Little Rock on Sept. 20.
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