No. 3 WVU Faces Familiar Foe Friday
September 07, 2017 03:08 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the third time in 27 matches, the West Virginia University women's soccer team will kick against Duke, as the No. 3-ranked Mountaineers play host to the No. 6 Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Friday is WVU Faculty/Staff night, and WVU faculty and staff members who show their WVU employee ID will be given free admission.
Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com and also will be available for purchase at the stadium ticket office. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths under 13 and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
Friday is the Mountaineers' (4-1) fourth meeting in as many weeks against a top-10 opponent. WVU is 2-1 in that span, including a 2-1 victory against No. 1 Penn State on Sept. 2.
"We're playing for our team goals Friday night, but we're also playing for our fans, too," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We love their support and seeing them stand behind us, especially in these big games. Our fans provide an extra spark of energy for us each time we play in Morgantown."
WVU and Duke (5-1) have met four times since 2013, with WVU holding a 2-1-1 series edge. The squads met twice in 2016. The Mountaineers earned their first win in the series with a 3-1 victory in Durham, North Carolina, on Sept. 9. WVU tallied its second victory with a 1-0 win in the NCAA Tournament Fourth Round on Nov. 26, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. With the win, the Mountaineers advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in 21 seasons.
"We understand that Duke is going to be motivated Friday night," Izzo-Brown said. "We eliminated them from the College Cup last year. They're going to have respect for us, but they're going to want to get us back. The emotional battle will be there, but for us to accomplish our goals this season, we need to take care of business Friday night."
The Mountaineers return to competition just four days after knocking off Wright State, 2-0, on Sept. 4, at DDSS. The victory was a defensive clinic, as WVU denied WSU a shot and a corner kick. The Raiders became the second team this season to fail to earn a corner kick against the Mountaineer backline.
Sophomore Rylee Foster has allowed just three goals this season while tallying three clean sheets. She ranks No. 45 nationally with a .580 goals-against average.
Senior forward Michaela Abam netted the game-winner off a penalty kick just 2:22 into the match for the 12th-fasted goal scored in program history. Senior Amandine Pierre-Louis chipped in a second score in the 82nd minute. The duo paced the team with five shots each, and the Mountaineers finished with 33 total shots, nine on-frame.
Abam paces the team with five points (2 G, 1 A) and ranks No. 15 nationally with two game-winners.
The Blue Devils have bounced back from a season opening, 2-1 (OT) loss to No. 6 North Carolina with five straight wins, including a 2-0 victory over Auburn on Sept. 3, in Durham. Sophomore forward Ella Stevens tallied the game-winner off a free kick in the 24th minute, and senior forward Imani Dorsey added an insurance goal in the 56th minute. Senior EJ Proctor made two saves for Duke's third clean sheet of the season.
Dorsey has tallied a point in all six Blue Devil matches this season, including a goal in each of the last five. She paces the team with 11 points (5 G, 1 A) and ranks No. 38 nationally with a 1.83 points-per-game average
Friday is WVU Faculty/Staff night, and WVU faculty and staff members who show their WVU employee ID will be given free admission.
Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com and also will be available for purchase at the stadium ticket office. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths under 13 and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
Friday is the Mountaineers' (4-1) fourth meeting in as many weeks against a top-10 opponent. WVU is 2-1 in that span, including a 2-1 victory against No. 1 Penn State on Sept. 2.
"We're playing for our team goals Friday night, but we're also playing for our fans, too," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We love their support and seeing them stand behind us, especially in these big games. Our fans provide an extra spark of energy for us each time we play in Morgantown."
WVU and Duke (5-1) have met four times since 2013, with WVU holding a 2-1-1 series edge. The squads met twice in 2016. The Mountaineers earned their first win in the series with a 3-1 victory in Durham, North Carolina, on Sept. 9. WVU tallied its second victory with a 1-0 win in the NCAA Tournament Fourth Round on Nov. 26, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. With the win, the Mountaineers advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in 21 seasons.
"We understand that Duke is going to be motivated Friday night," Izzo-Brown said. "We eliminated them from the College Cup last year. They're going to have respect for us, but they're going to want to get us back. The emotional battle will be there, but for us to accomplish our goals this season, we need to take care of business Friday night."
The Mountaineers return to competition just four days after knocking off Wright State, 2-0, on Sept. 4, at DDSS. The victory was a defensive clinic, as WVU denied WSU a shot and a corner kick. The Raiders became the second team this season to fail to earn a corner kick against the Mountaineer backline.
Sophomore Rylee Foster has allowed just three goals this season while tallying three clean sheets. She ranks No. 45 nationally with a .580 goals-against average.
Senior forward Michaela Abam netted the game-winner off a penalty kick just 2:22 into the match for the 12th-fasted goal scored in program history. Senior Amandine Pierre-Louis chipped in a second score in the 82nd minute. The duo paced the team with five shots each, and the Mountaineers finished with 33 total shots, nine on-frame.
Abam paces the team with five points (2 G, 1 A) and ranks No. 15 nationally with two game-winners.
The Blue Devils have bounced back from a season opening, 2-1 (OT) loss to No. 6 North Carolina with five straight wins, including a 2-0 victory over Auburn on Sept. 3, in Durham. Sophomore forward Ella Stevens tallied the game-winner off a free kick in the 24th minute, and senior forward Imani Dorsey added an insurance goal in the 56th minute. Senior EJ Proctor made two saves for Duke's third clean sheet of the season.
Dorsey has tallied a point in all six Blue Devil matches this season, including a goal in each of the last five. She paces the team with 11 points (5 G, 1 A) and ranks No. 38 nationally with a 1.83 points-per-game average
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