CLEMSON, S.C. – The West Virginia University women's soccer team makes its first-ever trip to Clemson, South Carolina, for a match against the Tigers on Friday, Sept. 7, with kick from Riggs Field set for 7 p.m.
 
The Mountaineers (1-2-3) return to the road looking for their first victory of the season in an opponent's home venue.
 
"Clemson is a dynamic team," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "They've won the ACC in the past. We're going into Tiger Country, and we know both teams need wins at this point of the season. It's going to be two quality teams battling.
 
"It's no longer the early part of our season, and we need to win. We are a program that knows how important wins are, especially against a program like Clemson, who we have so much respect for. We know how dangerous they are, and I think it would really build our confidence for us to complete a game and get a win."
 
WVU and Clemson (4-2) first met in Morgantown in 2016, with the No. 6-ranked Mountaineers earning a 1-0 victory over the No. 8 Tigers in front of 2,019 fans on Aug. 26, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Junior Rylee Foster made two saves and defended two corner kicks in her Dick Dlesk Stadium career debut.
 
The Mountaineers look to bounce back Friday night from a 2-0 loss to No. 11 Georgetown on Sept. 2, at Dick Dlesk Stadium. The Hoyas tallied the game-winner in the 35th minute and added an insurance goal in the 76th minute. Both teams tallied 14 shots, and Foster made a season-high five saves. WVU forced GU into five stops, and the Mountaineers also earned a 9-6 edge in corner kicks.
 
Anchored by reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week Easther Mayi Kith, the WVU defense has registered two shutouts this season. Foster shows a 0.75 goals-against average (GAA). WVU has registered five goals, and senior midfielder Grace Cutler paces the attack with a 0.6 points/game average.
 
After dropping back-to-back matches on the road, Clemson has strung together three straight wins, most recently defeating Wofford, 3-0, on Sept. 2, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
 
Sophomore forward Mariana Speckmaier paces the Tigers with nine points (4 G, 1 A) and ranks No. 85 nationally with a 1.50 points/game average. Senior forward Miranda Weslake ranks second on the team with seven points (3 G, 1 A). Two of Weslake's three goals have been game-winners, the 15th-best total nationally.
 
After making her season debut in net last week, junior Sandy MacIver had posted two shutouts, making two saves in 180:00 minutes of action. The Clemson defense owns a 0.667 GAA and ranks No. 63 nationally.