Photo by: Ben Powell
WVU Welcomes No. 7 Penn State to Morgantown
September 01, 2021 04:58 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No.13-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team prepares for its second top-15 matchup of the season, as it welcomes No. 7 Penn State to Morgantown, on Thursday, Sept. 2. The match is tabbed for 7 p.m. ET, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
There will be a Mountaineer thundersticks giveaway for the first 500 fans in attendance, while Thursday's contest also is slated as Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night, with free admission offered to WVU staff with a valid employee ID.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at WVUGAME.com and take advantage of the "Beat Penn State" ticket combo pack. Tickets for the women's soccer team's match against PSU on Sept. 2, as well as the WVU men's soccer team's contest against the Nittany Lions on Friday, Sept. 3, are available for just $7 in an online-only combo pack. Those who purchase the combo pack will be entered into a raffle for a game jersey signed by the women's team, as well as a game jersey signed by the men's team. The winners will be announced at halftime of the respective matches.
WVU student tickets also will be made available at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The office, as well as the stadium gates, opens at 5 p.m., on game day. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Andrew Caridi and Liam Belan have the call of Thursday's match on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. For more information, or to sign up for the digital platform, visit WVUsports.com/Big12Now. The game also can be heard on 91.7 FM (WWVU) in Morgantown. Live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
"We are very excited to have the seventh-best team in the country come to Morgantown this week," WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "It's been a natural rivalry over the years with Penn State. Both programs have had tremendous success, so I think that's always brought a big-game mentality into this rivalry."
Last time out, the Mountaineers (3-1) returned home on Aug. 29, to host Duquesne at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, topping the Dukes, 3-0, and recording their second clean sheet of the campaign. The first goal of the night came at the 33:21 mark off the boot of senior midfielder Isabella Sibley, whose strike was credited as the game-winning goal. West Virginia added two more scores in the second half from junior midfielder/defender Juliana Lynch and junior midfielder Aaliyah Scott. Dominating every statistical category, the Mountaineers led the Dukes 19-3 in shots and 7-2 in shots on goal.
Thursday's contest against Penn State marks the 20th all-time meeting between West Virginia and Penn State, as the Nittany Lions hold a 9-7-3 advantage in the series. WVU and PSU have met as ranked opponents in nine of the last 10 matches, dating back to 2012. The two teams first met on Oct. 26, 2003, in Morgantown, with the Mountaineers suffering a 4-1 loss to the Nittany Lions.
West Virginia and Penn State have met in the regular season and in NCAA Tournament play, with 14 regular-season matches and five tournament matches. The two programs last met in 2019, with a 1-1 draw at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium early in the year's campaign.
Erica Damback is in her 14th season as the head coach of Penn State, holding an overall mark of 231-76-21. She has led the team to four Big Ten Tournament titles, 11 Big Ten regular-season titles and 14-straight NCAA Tournaments, as well as an NCAA Championship title in 2015.
The Nittany Lions are 3-0 so far this season, following a 2-1 win against previously undefeated Hofstra on Aug. 29. Junior midfielder/forward Payton Linnehan leads the team with five goals, two assists and 12 points on the season, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Katherine Asman has tallied seven saves.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
There will be a Mountaineer thundersticks giveaway for the first 500 fans in attendance, while Thursday's contest also is slated as Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night, with free admission offered to WVU staff with a valid employee ID.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at WVUGAME.com and take advantage of the "Beat Penn State" ticket combo pack. Tickets for the women's soccer team's match against PSU on Sept. 2, as well as the WVU men's soccer team's contest against the Nittany Lions on Friday, Sept. 3, are available for just $7 in an online-only combo pack. Those who purchase the combo pack will be entered into a raffle for a game jersey signed by the women's team, as well as a game jersey signed by the men's team. The winners will be announced at halftime of the respective matches.
WVU student tickets also will be made available at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The office, as well as the stadium gates, opens at 5 p.m., on game day. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Andrew Caridi and Liam Belan have the call of Thursday's match on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. For more information, or to sign up for the digital platform, visit WVUsports.com/Big12Now. The game also can be heard on 91.7 FM (WWVU) in Morgantown. Live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
"We are very excited to have the seventh-best team in the country come to Morgantown this week," WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. "It's been a natural rivalry over the years with Penn State. Both programs have had tremendous success, so I think that's always brought a big-game mentality into this rivalry."
Last time out, the Mountaineers (3-1) returned home on Aug. 29, to host Duquesne at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, topping the Dukes, 3-0, and recording their second clean sheet of the campaign. The first goal of the night came at the 33:21 mark off the boot of senior midfielder Isabella Sibley, whose strike was credited as the game-winning goal. West Virginia added two more scores in the second half from junior midfielder/defender Juliana Lynch and junior midfielder Aaliyah Scott. Dominating every statistical category, the Mountaineers led the Dukes 19-3 in shots and 7-2 in shots on goal.
Thursday's contest against Penn State marks the 20th all-time meeting between West Virginia and Penn State, as the Nittany Lions hold a 9-7-3 advantage in the series. WVU and PSU have met as ranked opponents in nine of the last 10 matches, dating back to 2012. The two teams first met on Oct. 26, 2003, in Morgantown, with the Mountaineers suffering a 4-1 loss to the Nittany Lions.
West Virginia and Penn State have met in the regular season and in NCAA Tournament play, with 14 regular-season matches and five tournament matches. The two programs last met in 2019, with a 1-1 draw at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium early in the year's campaign.
Erica Damback is in her 14th season as the head coach of Penn State, holding an overall mark of 231-76-21. She has led the team to four Big Ten Tournament titles, 11 Big Ten regular-season titles and 14-straight NCAA Tournaments, as well as an NCAA Championship title in 2015.
The Nittany Lions are 3-0 so far this season, following a 2-1 win against previously undefeated Hofstra on Aug. 29. Junior midfielder/forward Payton Linnehan leads the team with five goals, two assists and 12 points on the season, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Katherine Asman has tallied seven saves.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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