No. 10/12 Mountaineers Set to Open 2015 Season
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 20, 2015) – The No. 10/12 West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens its 2015 season at Indiana’s Hoosier Classic, Aug. 21-23, at Armstrong Stadium, in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Mountaineers open the tournament against SIUE on Friday, at 4:30 p.m. WVU then kicks against No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Sunday at noon. Neither match will be streamed online. Links for live scores can be found at WVUsports.com.
Hoosier Classic Notes
WVU carries a program-record 19-match unbeaten streak into the weekend. Friday marks the third straight season opener away from Morgantown for the Mountaineers. WVU is 8-9-2 in season-opening matches.
“It’s exciting to finally open the season,” said 20-year Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “The whole team worked really hard throughout preseason camp, and I was impressed by everyone’s focus. I’m excited by the team’s chemistry, too, especially at this point of the year. We can’t settle though, and we need to continue to work hard.”
Friday is the first-ever meeting against the Mountaineers and the Cougars, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) champions and the conference’s preseason No. 1 pick. WVU was 3-0 against first-time opponents in 2014.
“SIUE has a few key returning players, and their goalkeeper (senior Jennifer Pelley) keeps them in games,” explained Izzo-Brown. “We have to be aware of their threats at the top and at midfield.”
WVU owns a 3-2 edge in the all-time series with the Hokies. VT has scored the win in the last two meetings, including a 1-0 decision in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. WVU last earned a win in 2002, a 2-0 decision in Blacksburg, Virginia. Sunday is the first neutral-site meeting between the squads.
“Virginia Tech will be a tough match – they have a lot of high-level players,” Izzo-Brown said. “Sunday’s match will be a battle between two top-10 programs. It’s exciting to play such a great competitor early, and we should have a good idea of where this team stands after the weekend.”
The Mountaineers return to competition following a 2014 season which saw them compile a 16-2-4 record en route to their 15th straight NCAA Tournament bid, as well as their third straight Big 12 Conference regular-season title and second consecutive Big 12 Championship crown.
Fifteen letterwinners return for WVU, including six seniors and junior All-American Kadeisha Buchanan, the two-time reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Buchanan and classmate Ashley Lawrence were named 2015 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy candidates and also were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer Team. Sophomore Michaela Abam also was named to the preseason squad.
The reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Abam, a Houston native, paced WVU in 2014 with 16 points on a team-best eight goals. Lawrence (4 G, 7 A) and senior Kailey Utley (5 G, 5 A) each tallied 15 points.
Buchanan and the Mountaineer defense posted 12 shutouts in 2014, with 11 credited to returning senior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman.
SIUE posted a 13-6-2 mark in 2014, won the OVC regular-season and tournament titles and qualified for its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Of note, former Mountaineer Morgan Betscher (’11) joins eight-year coach Derek Burton on the sidelines this season.
The Hokies posted a 16-6 mark in 2014 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Penn State, 2-1. Picked to finish fifth in the ACC, VT is led by senior midfielder Ashley Meier, a Preseason All-ACC selection, and junior forward Murielle Tiernan, a Hermann Trophy candidate. Tiernan ranked No. 29 in the NCAA in goals (14) and No. 32 in points (34) last season.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 20, 2015) – The No. 10/12 West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens its 2015 season at Indiana’s Hoosier Classic, Aug. 21-23, at Armstrong Stadium, in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Mountaineers open the tournament against SIUE on Friday, at 4:30 p.m. WVU then kicks against No. 11/13 Virginia Tech on Sunday at noon. Neither match will be streamed online. Links for live scores can be found at WVUsports.com.
Hoosier Classic Notes
WVU carries a program-record 19-match unbeaten streak into the weekend. Friday marks the third straight season opener away from Morgantown for the Mountaineers. WVU is 8-9-2 in season-opening matches.
“It’s exciting to finally open the season,” said 20-year Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “The whole team worked really hard throughout preseason camp, and I was impressed by everyone’s focus. I’m excited by the team’s chemistry, too, especially at this point of the year. We can’t settle though, and we need to continue to work hard.”
Friday is the first-ever meeting against the Mountaineers and the Cougars, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) champions and the conference’s preseason No. 1 pick. WVU was 3-0 against first-time opponents in 2014.
“SIUE has a few key returning players, and their goalkeeper (senior Jennifer Pelley) keeps them in games,” explained Izzo-Brown. “We have to be aware of their threats at the top and at midfield.”
WVU owns a 3-2 edge in the all-time series with the Hokies. VT has scored the win in the last two meetings, including a 1-0 decision in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament. WVU last earned a win in 2002, a 2-0 decision in Blacksburg, Virginia. Sunday is the first neutral-site meeting between the squads.
“Virginia Tech will be a tough match – they have a lot of high-level players,” Izzo-Brown said. “Sunday’s match will be a battle between two top-10 programs. It’s exciting to play such a great competitor early, and we should have a good idea of where this team stands after the weekend.”
The Mountaineers return to competition following a 2014 season which saw them compile a 16-2-4 record en route to their 15th straight NCAA Tournament bid, as well as their third straight Big 12 Conference regular-season title and second consecutive Big 12 Championship crown.
Fifteen letterwinners return for WVU, including six seniors and junior All-American Kadeisha Buchanan, the two-time reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Buchanan and classmate Ashley Lawrence were named 2015 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy candidates and also were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 Soccer Team. Sophomore Michaela Abam also was named to the preseason squad.
The reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Abam, a Houston native, paced WVU in 2014 with 16 points on a team-best eight goals. Lawrence (4 G, 7 A) and senior Kailey Utley (5 G, 5 A) each tallied 15 points.
Buchanan and the Mountaineer defense posted 12 shutouts in 2014, with 11 credited to returning senior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman.
SIUE posted a 13-6-2 mark in 2014, won the OVC regular-season and tournament titles and qualified for its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Of note, former Mountaineer Morgan Betscher (’11) joins eight-year coach Derek Burton on the sidelines this season.
The Hokies posted a 16-6 mark in 2014 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Penn State, 2-1. Picked to finish fifth in the ACC, VT is led by senior midfielder Ashley Meier, a Preseason All-ACC selection, and junior forward Murielle Tiernan, a Hermann Trophy candidate. Tiernan ranked No. 29 in the NCAA in goals (14) and No. 32 in points (34) last season.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
