KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 14-ranked and second-seeded West Virginia University women's soccer team meets No. 18-ranked and third-seeded Texas in the Big 12 Soccer Championship semifinal on Friday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m. EST, at Swope Soccer Village.
 
The second semifinal match of the night pits the conference's top offensive threat against the second-ranked defensive unit. The Longhorns (13-3-3, 5-3-1) enter the match ranked No. 1 in the Big 12, No. 43 nationally, with a 2.05 goals/game average. The Mountaineers (12-4-3, 7-2) will counter with an All-Big 12 backline, as WVU ranks No. 2 in the conference, No. 17 in the nation, with a 0.55 goals-against average (GAA).
 
Anchored by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Bianca St. Georges, all five defensive Mountaineers – St. Georges, defenders Easther Mayi Kith, Vanessa Flores and Jordan Brewster, as well as goalkeeper Rylee Foster – were named to the All-Big 12 First or Second Teams. UT junior forward Cyera Hintzen is the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
 
"Texas is a lethal attack, and we know that both teams are vying for a championship," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We have the confidence to beat them, as we did that early on, but both teams are different, and we know Texas is better than they were when we saw them earlier.
 
"Texas has dynamic players. It's definitely going to be a battle Friday."
 
The Mountaineers advanced to the championship semifinal for the sixth consecutive season with a 3-0 win over No. 7-seed Oklahoma on Oct. 28. WVU is 11-2-2 in all-time Big 12 Soccer Championship matches and won titles in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
 
WVU owns a 6-2-1 all-time mark against UT. Earlier this season, the Mountaineers overcame a late 1-0 deficit to defeat the No. 13 Longhorns, 2-1, on Oct. 7, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. St. Georges scored two goals in a span of three minutes for her first career brace and game-winning goal. The Mountaineers held UT to just one shot on-goal and denied the Longhorns a corner kick while registering nine of their own.
 
In their lone meeting at the championship, the teams settled for a 0-0 (2OT) draw in the 2014 semifinal on Nov. 7, at Swope Soccer Village. No. 9-ranked and top-seeded WVU advanced to the championship after edging fifth-seeded Texas, 6-5, in a penalty kick shootout.
 
In the quarterfinal match Sunday, WVU broke a scoreless draw just 28 seconds into the second half, as seniors Nadya Gill and Sh'Nia Gordon connected for the game-winner, Gordon's team-best sixth score of the season. Gill and sophomore forward Lauren Segalla added insurance goals, and WVU outshot OU, 26-8. Foster made one save for the Mountaineers' ninth clean sheet of the year.
 
The Mountaineers attack will keep pace with UT Friday night, as WVU ranks No. 3 in the Big 12, No. 72 nationally, with a 1.79 goals/game average. WVU has scored two or more goals in 11 of its last 13 matches.
 
Gordon paces WVU with 13 points (6 G, 1 A). St. Georges ranks No. 8 in the Big 12 with a 0.38 goals/game average, while freshman forward Lizzie Mayfield ranks No. 9 with a 0.22 assists/game average.
 
Foster stands alone in program history with 28 career shutouts. She ranks No. 3 in the Big 12, No. 23 nationally, with a 0.565 GAA.
 
Texas eliminated sixth-seeded Kansas from the championship with a 3-1 edge in a penalty-kick shootout on Oct. 28. The teams played to a 0-0 (2OT) draw. UT was outshot, 22-16. Junior Nicole Curry made five stops for the Longhorns, who placed four shots on-goal. UT earned an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
 
Hintzen paces UT with 29 points (10 G, 9 A) and shows a team-high three game-winning goals. She ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 in points, goals and assists.
 
Curry has played all 19 matches between the posts and ranks No. 5 in the Big 12 with a 0.73 GAA, allowing 14 goals. She has made 61 stops and earned credit for six of UT's seven shutouts.
 
In addition to Hintzen's top conference honor, midfielder Julia Grosso was named the co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Hintzen and sophomore midfielder Haley Berg was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, and Grosso was named to the second team and freshman team. Forward Mackenzie McFarland also was named to the freshman team.