dukepreview-main-112516.jpg
College Cup Ticket on the Line
November 25, 2016 12:20 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A ticket to the 2016 NCAA College Cup is on the line Saturday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, as the No. 1-ranked and top-seeded West Virginia University women’s soccer team kicks against No. 5-ranked and third-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 26, at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the Mountaineers’ final home match of the 2016 campaign are on sale now at WVUGAME.com. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and youths under the age of 13, and $2 for groups of 10 or more. Group tickets can only be purchased online and will not be available at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium ticket office. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
“I know this team feels very proud of Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium,” Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “This is sacred ground, and they don’t want anyone to come in and move us around here. I know there’s going to be a little extra motivation for the seniors – what do they want to leave as their legacy at Dick Dlesk Stadium?”
The Mountaineers (21-1-2, 8-0) are making their second straight appearance in the tournament quarterfinals and their third trip in program history. WVU is 0-2 in the fourth round, most recently losing 2-0 at eventual 2015 College Cup champion Penn State on Nov. 28, at Jeffrey Field, in University Park, Pennsylvania.
“This is our second Elite Eight, and it’s been a treat to coach this group another week,” Izzo-Brown mentioned. “This is an experience a lot of our returners are going to use for motivation. We lost to Penn State (last year), and they went all the way and won the championship. That will be motivation, and I also think it reminds us that we don’t want to feel the way we did last year.
“This team has been massively focused on getting to the final four. It was something they pinpointed on their goals list in August. I do believe our senior group knows what a letdown last year was, and they won’t be satisfied unless we get to the last step.”
In their only home quarterfinal match, the Mountaineers fell 1-0 to eventual 2007 College Cup champion USC on Nov. 30, 2007, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, in front of a program-record 3,000+ fans.
WVU is 12-6-3 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including 2-0-1 this season.
Saturday is the first-ever tournament meeting between the Mountaineers and the Blue Devils (15-4-3, 7-2-1 ACC). The teams have met three times since 2013, and the all-time series stands at 1-1-1. WVU earned its first victory against Duke with a 3-1 win in Durham, North Carolina, on Sept. 9.
“Duke is a very dynamic team. In the attack, their speed of play is probably one of the best in the country,” Izzo-Brown said. “They’ve had to make a few adjustments since we last saw them. Duke is going to come in here and be a fantastic team – it’s going to be a great matchup.”
WVU advanced to the fourth round after a 1-0-1 showing in Morgantown last weekend. The Mountaineers needed four overtime periods, but they knocked off Ohio State, 1-0 (2OT) on Nov. 18 before playing to a 1-1 draw against No. 18 UCLA on Nov. 20. WVU punched its ticket to the quarterfinals with a 4-2 edge over the Bruins in penalty kicks.
The UCLA goal was the first allowed by the WVU defense since Nov. 6. The Mountaineers show a program-record 16 shutouts, the second-most nationally, and have allowed just nine opponent goals, the second-fewest allowed nationally. WVU ranks No. 2 nationally with a 0.363 goals-against average (GAA) and No. 5 with a 0.667 shutout percentage.
Junior Michelle Newhouse has started the last six matches in net for the Mountaineers and has allowed just three goals during that span. She boasts a 0.45 GAA and has made 23 saves this season.
The WVU attack averages 2.04 goals/game and ranks No. 31 in the nation.
Junior forward Michaela Abam continues to pace the Mountaineer offense with 30 points (11 G, 8 A). The 11 goals are the 10th-most scored by an individual nationally. She ranks No. 8 in program history with 31 career goals.
Senior midfielder Ashley Lawrence has dished out a career single-season high 10 assists this year, the sixth-most nationally. She needs three more helpers to match the program season record of 13, set in 2013 by All-American Frances Silva. In four years, Lawrence has accumulated 29 career assists; she needs four more to match the program record of 33, set by associate head coach Lisa Stoia (2000-03).
The 2015 NCAA Tournament runners-up, Duke is back in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last six years and the 10th time in school history. The Blue Devils advanced to this point following a 3-1 win over Illinois State on Nov. 18 and a 1-0 victory against No. 21 Northwestern on Nov. 20, in Durham, North Carolina.
The Blue Devils average 2.14 goals/game and rank No. 23 nationally. The team also ranks No. 18 in the NCAA with a 0.659 GAA, and No. 32 nationally with a 0.500 shutout percentage.
Freshman midfielder Ella Stevens tallied her 10th goal of the season in the 33rd minute to give Duke the win over Northwestern. She paces with 26 points (10 G, 6 A). Senior midfielder Toni Payne ranks second on the team with 24 points (9 G, 6 A).
Junior EJ Proctor has started all 22 matches in net and shows a 0.62 GAA, allowing 14 goals and making 55 saves while posting 10 shutouts.
Nikki Izzo-Brown & Alicia Riggins | Wagner Postgame | Nov. 14
Saturday, November 15
Nikki Izzo-Brown | Nov. 10
Monday, November 10
WSOC | Cincinnati Cinematic Recap
Friday, October 31
Ajanae Respass | Cincinnati Postgame | Oct. 30
Thursday, October 30
