Photo by: Logan Adams
No. 21 West Virginia Heads to No. 10 Penn State
August 24, 2022 12:04 PM | Women's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 21-ranked West Virginia University women's soccer team prepares for its first road trip of the season, traveling to No. 10 Penn State on Thursday, Aug. 25. Kickoff at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pennsylvania, is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Thursday's match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network, with Dean Linke and Jackie Manny on the call. Live stats also are available at WVUsports.com.
WVU concluded its two-game, season-opening homestand with a 5-1 over Saint Joseph's on Aug. 21, tallying five goals from five different scorers, including three first-time goal scorers. Senior midfielder/defender Maddie Moreau, junior midfielder Chloe Adler and freshman forward Emily Thompson scored the first goals of their Mountaineer careers, while junior midfielder AJ Rodriguez and sophomore forward Rhea Kijowski also found the back of the net. Moreau's second-half goal was credited the game winner, the first of her WVU career.
Sophomore forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week after tallying a pair of assists in the win, earning the helper on Thompson's and Rodriguez's goals. Sophomore forward Aria Bilal also earned the first points of her career, assisting Kijowski's first-half score. West Virginia's dominance over SJU showed in the final stats, as it outshot Saint Joseph's 24-5, including a 16-5 edge in shots on goal.
The Mountaineers made their first appearance in the national polls this week, checking in at No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings. The ranking marks West Virginia's first appearance in the polls since week 10 of the 2021 campaign.
Thursday's matchup is the 21st all-time meeting between West Virginia and Penn State, as the Nittany Lions hold a 10-7-3 advantage in the series. WVU and PSU have met as ranked opponents in 10 of the last 11 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.
Since that first matchup, West Virginia and Penn State have met in the regular season and in NCAA Tournament play, with 15 regular-season matches and five tournament matches. The two programs last met in 2021, with PSU recording a 2-0 win over WVU in Morgantown on Sept. 2.
Erica Dambach is in her 15th season as the head coach at Penn State, with an overall mark of 243-84-22. She has led the team to four Big Ten Tournament titles, 11 Big Ten regular-season titles, 15 straight NCAA Tournaments and an NCAA title in 2015.
The Nittany Lions are 1-0-1 so far this season, coming off a 3-0 win over Duquesne on Aug. 21. PSU opened the campaign with a 2-2 draw with No. 19 Georgetown on Aug. 18. Redshirt senior forward Ally Schlegel leads the team with two goals so far this season, scoring in both games in the opening week of play, while junior goalkeeper Katherine Asman leads the squad in goal with a pair of saves on the year.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Thursday's match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network, with Dean Linke and Jackie Manny on the call. Live stats also are available at WVUsports.com.
WVU concluded its two-game, season-opening homestand with a 5-1 over Saint Joseph's on Aug. 21, tallying five goals from five different scorers, including three first-time goal scorers. Senior midfielder/defender Maddie Moreau, junior midfielder Chloe Adler and freshman forward Emily Thompson scored the first goals of their Mountaineer careers, while junior midfielder AJ Rodriguez and sophomore forward Rhea Kijowski also found the back of the net. Moreau's second-half goal was credited the game winner, the first of her WVU career.
Sophomore forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week after tallying a pair of assists in the win, earning the helper on Thompson's and Rodriguez's goals. Sophomore forward Aria Bilal also earned the first points of her career, assisting Kijowski's first-half score. West Virginia's dominance over SJU showed in the final stats, as it outshot Saint Joseph's 24-5, including a 16-5 edge in shots on goal.
The Mountaineers made their first appearance in the national polls this week, checking in at No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings. The ranking marks West Virginia's first appearance in the polls since week 10 of the 2021 campaign.
Thursday's matchup is the 21st all-time meeting between West Virginia and Penn State, as the Nittany Lions hold a 10-7-3 advantage in the series. WVU and PSU have met as ranked opponents in 10 of the last 11 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.
Since that first matchup, West Virginia and Penn State have met in the regular season and in NCAA Tournament play, with 15 regular-season matches and five tournament matches. The two programs last met in 2021, with PSU recording a 2-0 win over WVU in Morgantown on Sept. 2.
Erica Dambach is in her 15th season as the head coach at Penn State, with an overall mark of 243-84-22. She has led the team to four Big Ten Tournament titles, 11 Big Ten regular-season titles, 15 straight NCAA Tournaments and an NCAA title in 2015.
The Nittany Lions are 1-0-1 so far this season, coming off a 3-0 win over Duquesne on Aug. 21. PSU opened the campaign with a 2-2 draw with No. 19 Georgetown on Aug. 18. Redshirt senior forward Ally Schlegel leads the team with two goals so far this season, scoring in both games in the opening week of play, while junior goalkeeper Katherine Asman leads the squad in goal with a pair of saves on the year.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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