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No. 6 Mountaineers Meet Michigan Monday
August 07, 2016 04:15 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 6-ranked West Virginia University women’s soccer team will face Michigan in its lone home exhibition match of the 2016 season on Monday, Aug. 8, at 1 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Admission to the match is free and open to the public.
“We are looking forward to our exhibition match against Michigan,” 21-year coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “They are a great opponent and will teach us a lot about where we are at this point of the preseason process. I know the team is excited to compete against another squad, and I’m looking forward to watching us implement much of what we have been working on this week in training.”
Monday’s match is the Mountaineers’ first look at an opponent since opening their 2016 preseason camp at Dreamswork Field on Aug. 3. Eighteen letterwinners return for WVU, including senior defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Carly Black, midfielder Ashley Lawrence and forward/midfielder Ashley Woolpert. Also returning is junior forward Michaela Abam, the team’s leading goal scorer (12) one year ago.
Six newcomers join the squad this season: junior midfielder Alli Magaletta (Missouri), sophomore forward Grace Cutler (Santa Clara) and freshmen Rylee Foster (goalkeeper), Brooke Myers (goalkeeper), Amanda Burns (midfielder) and Jade Gentile (midfielder/forward).
WVU will play without the services of Buchanan and Lawrence, as the duo is currently competing for Canada at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. The Canadians defeated Zimbabwe, 3-1, yesterday in their second of three group matches and will face No. 2-ranked Germany on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 3 p.m. ET, at Manè Garrincha Stadium, in Brasilla, Brazil. With two wins already, Canada is guaranteed a spot in the Olympic quarterfinals.
The Mountaineers return to competition following a 19-3-1 showing in 2015, including a 6-0-1 mark in Big 12 play. The four-time reigning Big 12 Conference champion, WVU advanced to the 2015 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, the program’s second-ever Elite Eight appearance and first since 2007. The squad set program season records for wins (19), goals (61) and shutouts (15).
Michigan finished the 2015 season at 12-7-2, 6-3-2 in the Big Ten Conference. The squad ended its season with a 1-0 loss to eventual National Champion Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
There’s still time to purchase your WVU Soccer Scarf ticket package before the team’s 2016 home opener against No. 14 Clemson on Aug. 26, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Packages include the official 2016 WVU Soccer Fan Scarf and 10 tickets to be used at any women’s or men’s home match during the regular season. Packages are $30 and are available while supplies last. To order, visit WVUGAME.com or call 1-800-WVU-GAME.
Additionally, single-game tickets for all 10 of the Mountaineers’ regular-season home matches are now available and also can be ordered at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME.
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