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No. 11/12 WVU Set for Two Home Matches
September 03, 2015 03:14 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 11/12 West Virginia University women’s soccer team is set for two matches this weekend at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, playing host to No. 5/7 Penn State on Sept. 4, and Villanova on Sept. 6.
Friday’s match kicks at 7 p.m. It is a “Gold Rush,” and all fans are encouraged to wear gold. A special ceremony honoring the program’s 20th season will be held prior to kickoff. Additionally, the first 200 Mountaineer Maniacs will receive a free t-shirt. A free shuttle will transport Maniacs from the Mountainlair to DDSS Friday evening at 6:15 p.m. following the conclusion of Maniac Madness.
Sunday’s match begins at 1 p.m. It’s “Youth Jersey Day,” and fans 13 and under can wear their youth league soccer jersey for free admission. The first 20 youth fans through the gate will receive a free red hair braid. Additionally, the Mountaineers will meet with fans and sign autographs following the match.
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.
Fans can now purchase tickets online in advance for all home matches this season by visiting WVUGAME.com and selecting the Print-At-Home or Mobile Delivery option.
Friday’s match pits two of the nation’s top teams against one another, as the Mountaineers (3-1) and the Nittany Lions (3-0-1) have ranked inside the top 15 since preseason.
“The atmosphere and the energy that surrounds our team in Morgantown has been just outstanding throughout my 20 years at WVU, and I can’t give our fans enough credit,” said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “They bring the Mountaineer Spirit to every match, and we are asking them to bring it again this weekend. We want to send Penn State a message Friday night with the energy we’ll show on the field and in the stands.”
PSU visits Morgantown for the first time since Aug. 31, 2012. The Nittany Lions earned a 2-1 double-overtime victory that evening in front of 2,057 fans, the best regular-season attendance mark for WVU women’s soccer and the second-largest crowd ever for a women’s soccer match at DDSS.
Since that defeat, WVU has gone 0-1-1 against PSU, playing to a 2-2 double-overtime draw in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 17, 2013, and losing, 3-1, in the 2014 season opener on Aug. 22, also in University Park. The Mountaineers’ last victory against PSU came on Nov. 14, 2012, a 2-1 victory over the No. 14 Nittany Lions in Morgantown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. WVU is 5-6-1 all-time against PSU.
PSU is led by senior forward Mallory Weber’s eight points (3 G, 2 A). Classmate Raquel Rodriguez, a midfielder, is a member of the Costa Rican National Team and a 2015 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy candidate.
“Mallory and Raquel provide senior leadership for Penn State. They’re a solid team and are absolutely the fifth-best team in the country,” said Izzo-Brown. “Friday is going to be a battle. You can’t take anything away from Penn State – they play well on both sides of the ball.
“Our team is going to be up for Friday’s game. The important thing will be for us to maintain our focus. I know we’re going to work hard, so we just need to play smart, too.”
The Nittany Lions have scored 10 goals on 76 shots while holding opponents to five goals on 32 chances. Senior goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom has made nine saves and allowed three goals.
Former foes in the Big East Conference, the Mountaineers pushed their series edge over the Wildcats (0-3) to 10-5-5 with a 4-0 victory in Morgantown on Sept. 21, 2014. VU enters the weekend looking for its first goal of the season, having dropped three straight 1-0 matches in the first two weekends. The Wildcats will play at Pitt on Sept. 4 before traveling to Morgantown.
The Mountaineers return to DDSS following a 5-0 victory against Duquesne in the team’s home season opener on Aug. 30. Five different Mountaineers scored in the game, with senior forward Kailey Utley, junior midfielder Ashley Lawrence and freshman forward Nia Gordon each contributing a goal and an assist for a game-best three points.
Utley tallied the game-winner against the Dukes and in the team’s 1-0 win at Maryland on Aug. 28. She has scored in three straight games dating back to Aug. 23 and ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference in goals (3), points (7) and game-winners (2).
The WVU defense was solid in both wins, holding the Terps and the Dukes to a combined seven shots, with only Maryland placing two on frame.
For their efforts in both matches, Utley and junior center back Kadeisha Buchanan were named the Big 12 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.
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