MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 13-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team closes its 2018 regular-season slate against Kansas on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
Admission to Thursday's match is free, courtesy of WVU Medicine. Fans are encouraged to park in the Natatorium/Band lot next to the WVU Track.
 
It's Senior Night, and prior to kick, WVU will recognize nine Mountaineers: Hannah Abraham, Grace Cutler, Patricia Fernandez, Vanessa Flores, Nadya Gill, Sh'Nia Gordon, Easther Mayi Kith, Amanda Saymon and Bianca St. Georges.
 
The Mountaineers (11-3-3, 7-1) enter the Big 12 Conference finale tied with No. 10 Baylor (14-4, 7-1) at the top of the conference standings with 21 points. A win against the Jayhawks (10-5-2, 4-4) would clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title for WVU.
 
"We've been really focused on one game at a time," said Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, who stands one win short of career victory No. 350. "The girls know, because of our senior leadership, what is at stake. Our seniors have been here before. It's going to be really important that we keep our focus and take care of business to get the result.
 
"This was a goal of this team, and they were not satisfied that they let one slip last year. Having one loss and one tie, they never thought they wouldn't win the Big 12 regular season. It's a tough conference. We're the No. 1 RPI in the country right now. This would mean everything to our team and our senior class."
 
Upon entering the Big 12 in 2012, WVU won five consecutive regular-season titles. The Mountaineers own a 49-3-4 record in Big 12 play, good for a .911 win percentage, the best win percentage over a seven-year span for any team in conference history.
 
WVU is 25-1-2 in all-time home Big 12 matches.
 
The Mountaineers and the Jayhawks meet in the regular-season finale for the second straight season. Last year, No. 7 WVU earned a 2-0 win in Lawrence, Kansas, on Oct. 27. The teams have not met in Morgantown since 2015, a 6-0 Mountaineer victory on Oct. 16, at Dick Dlesk Stadium.
 
"Kansas is extremely dynamic," Izzo-Brown said. "They have the ability to score, and we know they will be a handful for us tomorrow night. Kansas is a tough team to breakdown but also very lethal in the attack."
 
WVU is 7-0 all-time against KU; all wins have been shutouts.
 
The Mountaineers are winners in 10 of their last 11 matches and ride a four-match win streak into Thursday night. Most recently, WVU earned a 4-1 victory at Oklahoma on Oct. 21. Abraham and St. Georges combined for all four Mountaineer goals, including three in the first half. The duo also scored WVU's pair of goals in a 2-1 win at Oklahoma State on Oct. 19, with Abraham earning credit for both game-winners.
 
The Mountaineers have outscored their Big 12 opponents, 18-4. WVU ranks No. 3 in the conference, No. 72 nationally, with a 1.82 goals/game average.
 
St. Georges paces the WVU attack with six goals and 12 points. Sophomore midfielder Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel also shows 12 points (5 G, 2 A). Abraham, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, has tallied a team-best three game-winning goals this season and shows a team-high nine for her career.
 
The Mountaineer defense has held Big 12 opponents to eight combined shots on-goal; only Baylor and Oklahoma State placed two shots on-frame against the WVU backline. The Mountaineers rank No. 1 in the Big 12, No. 20 nationally, with a 0.564 goals-against average (GAA).
 
Junior Rylee Foster has played all 17 matches between the posts and earned credit for seven of WVU's eight shutouts. She ranks No. 2 in the Big 12, No. 24 nationally, with a 0.575 GAA.
 
After opening Big 12 play with a 4-1 mark, KU has dropped its last three matches, including a 1-3 decision at No. 13 Baylor on Oct. 21. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but BU tallied three unanswered, second-half goals. KU is 2-4 against ranked teams this year.
 
The Jayhawks rank No. 8 in the Big 12 with a 1.41 goals/game average. Forwards Grace Hagan and Katie McClure have combined for 14 of the Jayhawks' 24 goals, with each netting seven apiece. Hagan's seven goals have all come in the last nine outings.
 
KU has held opponents to one goal or less in 17 matches this season and has posted seven clean sheets. Freshman Sarah Peters has allowed 18 total goals for a 1.01 GAA.