Foster Named Student-Athlete of the Week
August 22, 2016 04:01 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On the heels of a nine-save performance in her first collegiate contest, women’s soccer freshman Rylee Foster has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.
Foster, a native of Cambridge, Ontario, stopped all but one of No. 2-ranked and defending National Champion Penn State’s 10 attempts in the team’s season-opening showdown on Aug. 19, in front of more than 5,000 loud PSU fans, to help the No. 5-ranked Mountaineers earn a 1-1 double-overtime draw. Foster made three saves each half and tallied three more in the first overtime session. She also turned away three corner kicks.
Foster made her second career start against Buffalo on Aug. 21 and earned her first career victory with a 2-0 win. She did not face a shot on-goal in more than 72 minutes of action.
The Mountaineers (1-0-1) open their 2016 home season at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Friday, Aug. 26, against No. 14-ranked Clemson.
This Week in Women’s Soccer: The No. 5-ranked Mountaineers open their 2016 home season at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Friday, Aug. 26, against No. 14 Clemson at 7 p.m. ET … the squad will then face St. Francis (Pa.) on Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. … Friday is “Dollar Night,” and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each … Friday also is a Gold Rush, and fans are encouraged to wear gold to show their Mountaineer spirit.
Last Week in Women’s Soccer: The Mountaineers (1-0-1) had a strong showing at the Penn State Invitational over the weekend, drawing the No. 2-ranked and defending National Champion Nittany Lions, 1-1, in double-overtime on Aug. 19, in front of more than 5,000 fans, and defeating Buffalo, 2-0, on Aug. 21 … the win over Buffalo was career victory No. 300 for coach Nikki Izzo-Brown … after allowing a PSU goal in the 51st minute, WVU mounted a comeback on Friday night and tied the Nittany Lions on a goal from junior forward Michaela Abam in the 77th minute … freshman goalkeeper Rylee Foster made nine saves, including three in the first overtime session, in her first collegiate match … WVU got on top of the Bulls early and never looked back, as junior forward Heather Kaleiohi tallied the game-winning goal in the 22nd minute and sophomore forward Grace Cutler added an insurance goal in the 68th minute … the WVU defense limited UB to three shots, with just one landing on frame.
Notes and Quotes: Sophomore Vanessa Flores assisted on Abam’s game-tying goal Friday night for her first career point … Abam’s score was her team-best 21st career goal … Abam tallied five shots Friday night, with four landing on frame … junior defender Amandine Pierre-Louis assisted on Kaleiohi’s game-winning goal Sunday, and sophomore forward Sh’Nia Gordon assisted on Cutler’s score … all but 13 of Izzo-Brown’s career wins have come at WVU.
This Week in Men’s Soccer: The Mountaineers open the regular season with a pair of neutral site contests against two top-15 opponents in Akron, Ohio … on Friday, Aug. 26, WVU faces No. 14 Seattle at 4:30 p.m. ET before taking on No. 10 Georgetown on Sunday at 2 p.m. ... West Virginia’s home opener is slated for Saturday, Sept. 3 against Princeton at 7 p.m. … the Mountaineers’ week begins with its final exhibition match, a contest against Charleston on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Last Week in Men’s Soccer: In its first exhibition match, West Virginia used a pair of late goals to shut out Pitt, 2-0, on Aug. 16 ... a crowd of 873 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium saw the Mountaineers earn a Backyard Brawl victory thanks to goals by senior Jack Elliott and sophomore Rushawn Larmond and a strong defensive showing in front of junior goalkeepers Stephen Banick and Jose Santos.
Notes: Four of WVU’s opponents are ranked in the NSCAA preseason poll, all in the top 15 … along with the season-opening weekend against No. 14 Seattle and No. 10 Georgetown, the Mountaineers will play No. 2 Akron and No. 4 Maryland, both at home … WVU’s roster features 15 returners and 14 newcomers … among the returning players to West Virginia’s roster is junior Joey Piatczyc, who finished No. 2 in the country last season with a school-record 13 assists.
Coach Marlon LeBlanc on the Backyard Brawl win: “We had a lot of the ball for a lot of the game, we made an impression on the match right from the start. There’s more I want from it, but for the most part we really shut them down and had a lot of the ball. It’s a good first outing, but we have to get better. We had a huge crowd for an exhibition match. The Backyard Brawl on a perfect Tuesday afternoon in Fall Fest, everything came together. Our guys get great student support. I’m really proud of our student section coming out today and really getting into the game. I’m more pleased that we got to send them home with a win in the Backyard Brawl and get people excited for the regular-season opener.”
This Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers open the season at the Penn State Classic in University Park, Pennsylvania … WVU starts things off with the host No. 9 Nittany Lions on Friday at 7 p.m. … the Mountaineers will also face No. 19 North Carolina (1 p.m.) and Georgia Southern (5 p.m.) on Saturday.
Notes: The 2016 season marks coach Reed Sunahara’s second year at the helm … senior middle blocker Hannah Shreve and junior libero Gianna Gotterba will serve as team captains … Shreve is joined by setter Haley Roe and defensive specialist MaTia Hughes as this season’s senior class.
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