2019 Preseason Notebook

August 19, 2019 11:57 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Shannon Wolfgang

It's finally game week.

Following a nine-month offseason, the No. 11-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team returns to competition this week. The Mountaineers open the 2019 season against Duquesne on Friday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

The Mountaineers are looking to return to champion status this season after capturing the Big 12 Soccer Championship title in 2018. Learn more about the program's 24th team in this year's 2019 Preseason Notebook.

It Starts with Foster
Senior goalkeeper Rylee Foster is both the most experienced and most decorated player returning for the Mountaineers in 2019.

A native of Cambridge, Ontario, Foster has started all 63 career matches she has been available for between the posts. She shows a career goals-against average (GAA) of 0.55, which ranks No. 1 in program history. She also ranks No. 3 in program history with 31 career shutouts and No. 4 with 5,765:49 minutes played.

Last season, Foster earned credit for 11 of the team's 12 clean sheets and posted a 0.55 GAA en route to 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team accolades. She was the first Mountaineer goalkeeper to earn an All-America award. A Missouri Athletic Conference (MAC) Hermann Trophy candidate, she also was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and the Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team.

A three-year member of the Canadian U-20 Women's National Team, she was a finalist for the 2018 CONCACAF Female Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Holes to Fill
With the graduation of seven starters from the 2018 roster, the Mountaineers have lineup needs in front of senior goalkeeper Rylee Foster.

Sophomore outside back Jordan Brewster is the lone defensive returner. A 2018 All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Freshman Team honoree, she helped the backline record 12 shutouts as a rookie. Additionally, she finished the year with eight points (2 G, 4 A).

Sophomore Addison Clark returns at midfield for the Mountaineers following an All-Big 12 Freshman Team campaign in 2018. Clark's lone goal as a rookie was a game-winner, as she scored in WVU's 3-0 victory over Xavier on Aug. 30, the team's first win of the season.

Junior forward Lauren Segalla returns up top after recording 14 points (5 G, 4 A) in 23 starts last year; her point and assist totals ranked No. 2 on the team. A 2018 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team honoree, three of her five scores were game-winners, also the second-best total on the team.

A handful of Mountaineers are waiting to step up for the team this season, including junior midfielder Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel, who finished second on the team in points (14) and goals (6) while playing off the bench for the final 16 matches. Senior forward Jade Gentile also is expected to assume a larger role on the squad after playing in 59 career matches.

A pair of sophomore forwards should also see more playing time in 2019. Alina Stahl returns from injury, which forced her to miss the final eight matches of the season. Before she was sidelined, Stahl recorded six points (2 G, 2 A). Lizzie Mayfield also returns after playing in 21 matches off the bench and recording six points (1 G, 4 A).

Newcomers to Play Big Role
The Mountaineers will welcome 12 newcomers in 2019, including senior midfielder transfer Jessica Lisi. A three-year letterwinner at Memphis, Lisi helped the Tigers win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship Crown in 2018. A two-time All-AAC Second Team honoree, she finished fourth on the team last year with 13 points (5 G, 3 A). Lisi also previously played for the Canadian Women's Soccer U-20 National Team.

Lisi and four additional Mountaineers arrived in Morgantown in January: forward Enzi Broussard (Dallas, Texas), midfielder Juliana Lynch (Baltimore, Maryland) and defenders Gabby Robinson (Springfield, Virginia) and Jillian Smalls (Ellicott City, Maryland).

Also donning the Gold and Blue for the first time this season are: Stephanie Chmiel (Morgantown, West Virginia), Gabby Hollar (West Liberty, Ohio), Kayza Massey (Ottawa, Ontario), Nicole Payne (Birmingham, Alabama), Aaliyah Scott (Pickering, Ontario), Courtney Smith (Fayetteville, West Virginia) and Julianne Vallerand (Terrebonne, Quebec).

No Easy Outs
The Mountaineers' 18-match slate features 10 teams that qualified for the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including meetings against a pair of College Cup qualifiers in the first month of the season. In total, WVU will kick against four teams that advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament Fourth Round: Stanford (College Cup), Georgetown (College Cup), Penn State (quarterfinals) and Baylor (quarterfinals).

"As promised annually, we have put together another challenging schedule, and we believe this year may be our toughest test yet," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "These matches will show this team where we stand nationally. We will have a young squad in 2019, and this slate will show us where we need to develop as we progress toward Big 12 play.

"This season is all about development, and this schedule should help ensure that we are playing our best at the end of the year. We're going to grow into the best we can be in 2019."

WVU will play 11 matches at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, including five against Big 12 Conference opponents.

Back to the Hunted
The Mountaineers returned to champion status in 2018, as WVU claimed the Big 12 Soccer Championship title with a 3-0 win over No. 9 Baylor on Nov. 4, in Kansas City, Missouri. The title was WVU's ninth since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2012 and first since winning the tournament crown in 2016.

The Mountaineers have earned four Big 12 Soccer Championship titles and five regular-season championships, the last also in 2016. Including their years in the Big East Conference, the Mountaineers' conference title count now stands at 17.

Program Milestone Looms
The Mountaineers enter the 2019 season, the program's 24th, needing 10 victories to reach program win No. 350.

The only coach in women's soccer history, Nikki Izzo-Brown returns to lead WVU after securing career win No. 350 in 2018. Previously the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan (1994), Izzo-Brown shows a 353-116-53 career coaching record.

In 23 seasons, the Mountaineers have qualified for 19 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, the fifth-longest streak nationally, and won 17 conference titles. WVU has advanced to at least the third round of the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years and reached as high as the NCAA College Cup Final in 2016.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.