MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's soccer team continues its season-opening homestand when it takes on Akron on Thursday, Aug. 21. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
 
In the second game of a doubleheader with the WVU men's team, the Mountaineers will be hosting a Glow Back-to-School night in celebration of the first week of on-campus classes for WVU students. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive a neon foam glowstick giveaway. It's also a Dollar Day, with tickets available for just $1 each.
 
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 6:30 p.m., on game day. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
 
Andrew Caridi and Adam Zundell have the call of Thursday's contest on ESPN+. The game also can be heard on 91.7 FM (WWVU) in Morgantown, and live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
 
Thursday's matchup marks the first-ever meeting between West Virginia and Akron. The Zips are set to become the Mountaineers' 124th different opponent all-time. Additionally, Akron is the first of two new opponents for WVU this season. The Mountaineers also are set to meet Utah on Sept. 27 for the first time as Big 12 opponents. Over the last seven years, WVU is 9-3-2 against first-time opponents.
 
Last time out, West Virginia dropped its 2025 season opener in a close, 1-0 loss to No. 15 Virginia on Aug. 14. Despite controlling the possession for much of the match, the Mountaineers fell behind in the 64th minute and couldn't draw level with the visiting Cavaliers in the remainder of the match. West Virginia led 14-8 in shots and 5-2 in shots on goal, while UVA took seven corner kicks and WVU took five. Juniors Jacey Rase and Maya Leoni and sophomore Maddie Levy led the squad with two shots apiece.
 
Interim head coach Maggie Kuhn is her fourth season on the Zips' coaching staff and brings over 18 years of college coaching experience to the interim position. Akron is coming off a 1-0-1 opening weekend last week. The squad played to a 0-0 draw against Purdue Fort Wayne on Aug. 14, before securing a 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois on Aug. 17. Luisa Fragnoli leads the offensive efforts so far this season, scoring the team's lone goal of the year against Eastern Illinois. Goalkeeper Sara Bower has notched 11 saves this year.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.