Saturday, November 10
Morgantown, W.Va.
4:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Radford
Photo by: Steven Prunty
No. 8 Mountaineers Open NCAA Tournament
November 09, 2018 02:39 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 8-ranked and second-seeded West Virginia University women's soccer team opens the 2018 NCAA Tournament against Radford on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
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Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and youth 12 and under and $3 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students will be admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
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Free parking will be available in the Band Lot next to the WVU track. Fans are encouraged to arrive early Saturday to avoid traffic.
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Coming off their title-clinching performance at the 2018 Big 12 Soccer Championship, the Mountaineers (14-4-3, 7-2) are making their 19th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the fifth-longest streak nationally.
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"I think we have something to prove back here in our stadium in front of our fans," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We need to make sure we take care of business at home. I know the girls are excited about that and to be home and in our routine. Dlesk is sacred ground, and they want to redeem themselves."
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WVU is 20-17-4 all-time in tournament matches and 11-5-2 in the first round. Dating back to the 2015 season, the Mountaineers have outscored their tournament opponents, 25-11, and have posted nine shutouts in their last 14 matches.
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"Radford is a very offensive minded team with a couple of special players that we know we're going to have to be aware of," Izzo-Brown added. "They have an experienced team. I know it's going to be a tough team coming into town."
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Saturday is the first-ever tournament meeting between WVU and Radford (16-2-1, 9-1 Big South). The Mountaineers are 2-0 all-time against the Highlanders, and in their last meeting in 2004, WVU tallied a 5-0 victory in Radford, Virginia.
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Winners in 13 of their last 15 matches, WVU is outscoring its opponents, 38-11, this season. Fourteen different Mountaineers have combined for the goals, with senior forward Sh'Nia Gordon leading the way with a team-best seven goals and 16 points (7 G, 2 A). Four of her scores have been game-winners.
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The Mountaineer defense has posted 11 clean sheets this year, including three straight at the Big 12 Championship, and ranks No. 7 nationally with a 0.505 goals-against average (GAA). Â
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Junior Ryle Foster has played all 21 matches between the posts and earned credit for 10 of the Mountaineers' shutouts. She ranks No. 12 nationally with a 0.512 GAA.
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Big South Conference champion Radford won its sixth tournament title and earned the conference's automatic bid with a 1-0 win over No. 2-seed Gardner-Webb on Nov. 4, in Matthews, North Carolina. The Highlanders ride an 11-match win streak into Saturday's contest and have not lost since dropping a 2-1 decision at Gardner-Webb on Sept. 22. Radford's 16 wins match the program's single-season record, first set in 1997.
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Senior midfielder Jasmine Casarez paces the Highlanders with 30 points (13 G, 4 A). She ranks No. 30 nationally with a 1.58 points/game average. Junior forward Natalie Perez ranks No. 13 nationally with a 0.53 assists/game average.
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Radford has allowed 16 goals this season for a team GAA of 0.83. The Highlanders have posted 10 shutouts, eight credited to junior Courtenay Kaplan, who shows a 12-2-1 record and a 0.85 GAA.
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Tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and youth 12 and under and $3 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students will be admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Â
Free parking will be available in the Band Lot next to the WVU track. Fans are encouraged to arrive early Saturday to avoid traffic.
Â
Coming off their title-clinching performance at the 2018 Big 12 Soccer Championship, the Mountaineers (14-4-3, 7-2) are making their 19th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the fifth-longest streak nationally.
Â
"I think we have something to prove back here in our stadium in front of our fans," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We need to make sure we take care of business at home. I know the girls are excited about that and to be home and in our routine. Dlesk is sacred ground, and they want to redeem themselves."
Â
WVU is 20-17-4 all-time in tournament matches and 11-5-2 in the first round. Dating back to the 2015 season, the Mountaineers have outscored their tournament opponents, 25-11, and have posted nine shutouts in their last 14 matches.
Â
"Radford is a very offensive minded team with a couple of special players that we know we're going to have to be aware of," Izzo-Brown added. "They have an experienced team. I know it's going to be a tough team coming into town."
Â
Saturday is the first-ever tournament meeting between WVU and Radford (16-2-1, 9-1 Big South). The Mountaineers are 2-0 all-time against the Highlanders, and in their last meeting in 2004, WVU tallied a 5-0 victory in Radford, Virginia.
Â
Winners in 13 of their last 15 matches, WVU is outscoring its opponents, 38-11, this season. Fourteen different Mountaineers have combined for the goals, with senior forward Sh'Nia Gordon leading the way with a team-best seven goals and 16 points (7 G, 2 A). Four of her scores have been game-winners.
Â
The Mountaineer defense has posted 11 clean sheets this year, including three straight at the Big 12 Championship, and ranks No. 7 nationally with a 0.505 goals-against average (GAA). Â
Â
Junior Ryle Foster has played all 21 matches between the posts and earned credit for 10 of the Mountaineers' shutouts. She ranks No. 12 nationally with a 0.512 GAA.
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Big South Conference champion Radford won its sixth tournament title and earned the conference's automatic bid with a 1-0 win over No. 2-seed Gardner-Webb on Nov. 4, in Matthews, North Carolina. The Highlanders ride an 11-match win streak into Saturday's contest and have not lost since dropping a 2-1 decision at Gardner-Webb on Sept. 22. Radford's 16 wins match the program's single-season record, first set in 1997.
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Senior midfielder Jasmine Casarez paces the Highlanders with 30 points (13 G, 4 A). She ranks No. 30 nationally with a 1.58 points/game average. Junior forward Natalie Perez ranks No. 13 nationally with a 0.53 assists/game average.
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Radford has allowed 16 goals this season for a team GAA of 0.83. The Highlanders have posted 10 shutouts, eight credited to junior Courtenay Kaplan, who shows a 12-2-1 record and a 0.85 GAA.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerMonday, October 12
Monday, October 12
Monday, October 12
Saturday, October 10
