Photo by: Seth Seebaugh
First Road Trip of 2021 Commences at Bucknell
August 26, 2021 12:01 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No.12-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team prepares for its first road trip of the 2021 campaign, traveling to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Aug. 27, for a 7 p.m. ET, kick against Bucknell, at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.
Friday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+, while the game also can be heard on 91.7 FM (WWVU) in Morgantown. Live stats are available via the women's soccer schedule page at WVUsports.com.
"Getting the chance to play an extensive nonconference schedule this season is so exciting for us," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We're looking forward to traveling to Bucknell, knowing they will present us with different shapes, different problems and different opportunities than our first two opponents this season. We're ready to get back at it and ready to continue to work on getting better following the Virginia game."
West Virginia (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) concluded its two-game, season-opening homestand on Aug. 24, falling to No. 4 Virginia by a score of 1-0. Despite a nearly identical final box score, the Mountaineers were unable to overcome UVA's early, go-ahead strike in the seventh minute. Junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey showed off her talent late in the second half, recording a pair of key saves to help the WVU defense limit UVA's opportunities. However, West Virginia couldn't find the equalizer on the offensive end of the pitch. The final stats showed a very even contest, with Virginia narrowly edging WVU in shots (4-3), shots on goal (3-2) and corner kicks (6-5).
Friday marks only the second meeting all-time between West Virginia and Bucknell. The Mountaineers tallied a victory over the Bison in the two teams' only ever meeting on Nov. 17, 2017. West Virginia earned a 3-0 win at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The two programs meet in Lewisburg on Friday for the first time in the series.
Bucknell is led by sixth-year coach Kelly Cook, who coached the Bison to back-to-back Patriot League Championship titles in 2016 and 2017. The squad kicked off its 2021 campaign with a 1-0 win over Youngstown State on Aug. 19, followed by a 1-1 draw with Towson on Aug. 22, to start the season 1-0-1. Through a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21, the Bison finished the campaign 1-2-2 overall.
Goalkeepers Kaylee Donelly and Jenna Hall return for the 2021 campaign after combining for three shutouts through five matches in 2020-21, while also posting a league-best 0.37 team goals-against average. Junior Rylee Donaldson leads the offense with five shots on goal and two points in Bucknell's first two matches of 2021.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Friday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+, while the game also can be heard on 91.7 FM (WWVU) in Morgantown. Live stats are available via the women's soccer schedule page at WVUsports.com.
"Getting the chance to play an extensive nonconference schedule this season is so exciting for us," Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "We're looking forward to traveling to Bucknell, knowing they will present us with different shapes, different problems and different opportunities than our first two opponents this season. We're ready to get back at it and ready to continue to work on getting better following the Virginia game."
West Virginia (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) concluded its two-game, season-opening homestand on Aug. 24, falling to No. 4 Virginia by a score of 1-0. Despite a nearly identical final box score, the Mountaineers were unable to overcome UVA's early, go-ahead strike in the seventh minute. Junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey showed off her talent late in the second half, recording a pair of key saves to help the WVU defense limit UVA's opportunities. However, West Virginia couldn't find the equalizer on the offensive end of the pitch. The final stats showed a very even contest, with Virginia narrowly edging WVU in shots (4-3), shots on goal (3-2) and corner kicks (6-5).
Friday marks only the second meeting all-time between West Virginia and Bucknell. The Mountaineers tallied a victory over the Bison in the two teams' only ever meeting on Nov. 17, 2017. West Virginia earned a 3-0 win at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The two programs meet in Lewisburg on Friday for the first time in the series.
Bucknell is led by sixth-year coach Kelly Cook, who coached the Bison to back-to-back Patriot League Championship titles in 2016 and 2017. The squad kicked off its 2021 campaign with a 1-0 win over Youngstown State on Aug. 19, followed by a 1-1 draw with Towson on Aug. 22, to start the season 1-0-1. Through a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21, the Bison finished the campaign 1-2-2 overall.
Goalkeepers Kaylee Donelly and Jenna Hall return for the 2021 campaign after combining for three shutouts through five matches in 2020-21, while also posting a league-best 0.37 team goals-against average. Junior Rylee Donaldson leads the offense with five shots on goal and two points in Bucknell's first two matches of 2021.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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