MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 16-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team opens a key weekend at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Friday, Oct. 5, against No. 24 Baylor, with kick set for 7 p.m.
 
It's Soctoberfest, and the first 300 fans will receive a free WVU stein. Additionally, Happy Hour prices will be in effect, with half-priced beverages available from 6-7 p.m. Oktoberfest-themed food also will be offered.
 
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com to avoid lines at the gate on game night. When purchasing in advance online, tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more. All tickets are general admission.
 
At the stadium ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups on game day. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff of the match.
 
WVU students are admitted for 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.
 
Riding a six-game win streak, the Mountaineers (7-2-3, 3-0) enter the match after making the biggest jump of any team nationally in this week's United Coaches Poll, moving 10 spots to No. 16. WVU has outscored its opponents, 16-1, in its current win streak, and the Mountaineers' last five victories have been shutouts.
 
"It's so important for our team to not only win, but to win with a shutout," said WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "We take great pride in winning and making sure we get a shutout. Going into these conference games, that's the goal, and we're looking forward to a big game against Baylor."
 
The Mountaineers are 5-0-1 all-time against the Bears (9-4, 2-1), the reigning Big 12 Soccer Championship victors. In their last meeting, No. 5 WVU edged BU, 2-1 (OT) on Sept. 22, 2017, in Waco, Texas. Two years ago in Morgantown, the No. 3 Mountaineers jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 3:11 into the match and cruised to a 2-0 victory on Sept. 30, 2016.
 
"Mountaineer Nation has never let us down, and they have been loud and proud in the stands," Izzo-Brown added. "We really need a push this weekend. When we went to Texas Tech and TCU – those are such tough environments to play in. I always talk about what our fan base can do, and they can make Dick Dlesk Stadium one of the toughest places to play. We're asking our fans to come out Friday night."
 
Alone atop the Big 12 Conference standings, the Mountaineers show a 40-match unbeaten streak at home against conferences foes, the third-longest active streak nationally. WVU has posted a clean sheet in 11 of its last 14 home Big 12 matches.
 
Most recently, WVU tallied four second-half goals, including three in a seven-minute window, in a 4-0 win over Kansas State on Sept. 28. The Mountaineers were the first team in K-State history to score four goals on the Wildcats.
 
Sophomore forward Lauren Segalla is having the best offensive performance against Big 12 foes, tallying two goals, both game winners, in three matches. Segalla ranks No. 1 in the conference (in league matches) in points/game (1.67) and goals/game (0.67), a ranking she shares with teammates Sh'Nia Gordon and Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel. Senior forward Hannah Abraham ranks No. 1 in assists/game (1.00).  
 
Offensively, Ferrer-vanGinkel continues to pace the Mountaineers with 11 points (5 G, 1 A). Gordon ranks No. 2 with eight points (4 G), and Segalla sits at No. 3 with seven points (2 G, 3 A). Forward Alina Stahl, the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week, ranks No. 4 with six points (2 G, 2 A).
 
The WVU defense has posted seven shutouts this year and ranks No. 15 nationally, No. 1 in the Big 12, with a 0.474 goals-against average (GAA). Junior Rylee Foster, who has earned credit for six of the shutouts, ranks No. 17 in the NCAA, No. 1 in the Big 12, with a 0.486 GAA. A shutout Friday night would give Foster 27 for her career and move her into a third-place tie with Sara Keane (2011-13).
 
The Bears earned their first two conference wins last weekend, defeating TCU, 1-0, on Sept. 28, before earning a 2-0 win at Texas Tech on Sept. 30. Senior forward Jackie Crowther, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, tallied both goals against the Red Raiders. Sophomore Jennifer Wandt, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, made six stops against TTU for the Bears' eighth clean sheet.
 
BU ranks No. 44 nationally, No. 2 in the Big 12, with a 2.15 goals/game average. Senior midfielder Julie James paces the attack with 13 points (6 G, 1 A), while Crowther shows 12 points (4 G, 4 A).
 
The Bears rank No. 7 in the Big 12 with a 0.923 GAA. Wandt has played in all 13 matches and ranks No. 41 nationally, No. 3 in the conference, with a 0.66 GAA. She has allowed seven goals and made 35 saves.