MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Aug. 14, 2024) – The West Virginia University women’s soccer team opens its 29th season of competition when it welcomes Delaware to Morgantown on Thursday, Aug. 15. Action inside Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET.
In addition to marking the first contest of the 2024-25 WVU Athletics season, the Mountaineers will be hosting a Back-to-School Drive during Thursday’s match. Fans will be given a raffle ticket to win WVU women’s soccer gear for every three items donated. The winner of the raffle will be announced at halftime.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME. When purchasing online, tickets are $6 each. Any remaining tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors at the stadium ticket window on match day.
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 p.m., on game day. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Andrew Caridi and Michael Minnich 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.
Entering her 29th season as the program’s only head coach, Nikki Izzo-Brown has led the Mountaineers to a 390-138-73 overall record. WVU returns 16 letterwinners off the 2023 squad, as well as six starters. Twelve newcomers are set to join the team this fall, including five freshmen and seven transfers.
Eighteen of the 27 different Mountaineers who earned playing time last season return to the squad this fall. Twelve different players found the back of the net last season, and of those, eight return to the team in 2024, including junior forward Taylor White who paced the scoring efforts with nine goals last year. All but two of the 11 different players who were credited with an assist last fall return to West Virginia’s roster this year, including senior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran who led the team with six helpers in 2023. White and Heredia-Beltran return as WVU’s leading point earners, tallying 20 and 12, respectively, last season.
Of note, fifth-year senior midfielder AJ Rodriguez was named to the 2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, marking her first career preseason honor.
West Virginia was picked to finish seventh in the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Poll, as selected by the league’s 16 head coaches. The 2024 campaign marks the inaugural season for conference newcomers Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. The Mountaineers will face Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado this season.
Thursday’s matchup marks the first-ever meeting between West Virginia and Delaware. The Blue Hens are set to become the Mountaineers’ 121st different opponent all-time. Additionally, Delaware is the first of three new opponents for WVU this season, as it will meet Arizona State and Colorado for the first time. Over the last six years, WVU is 6-3-2 against first-time opponents.
Kelly Lawrence is in her second season as the head coach at Delaware, after leading the Blue Hens to a 5-5-8 record in her inaugural season at the helm in 2023. Lea Panagiotidis paced Delaware’s offensive efforts last season, leading the squad in goals (3), assists (3), points (9) and shots (19).
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
In addition to marking the first contest of the 2024-25 WVU Athletics season, the Mountaineers will be hosting a Back-to-School Drive during Thursday’s match. Fans will be given a raffle ticket to win WVU women’s soccer gear for every three items donated. The winner of the raffle will be announced at halftime.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME. When purchasing online, tickets are $6 each. Any remaining tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors at the stadium ticket window on match day.
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 p.m., on game day. WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Andrew Caridi and Michael Minnich 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.
Entering her 29th season as the program’s only head coach, Nikki Izzo-Brown has led the Mountaineers to a 390-138-73 overall record. WVU returns 16 letterwinners off the 2023 squad, as well as six starters. Twelve newcomers are set to join the team this fall, including five freshmen and seven transfers.
Eighteen of the 27 different Mountaineers who earned playing time last season return to the squad this fall. Twelve different players found the back of the net last season, and of those, eight return to the team in 2024, including junior forward Taylor White who paced the scoring efforts with nine goals last year. All but two of the 11 different players who were credited with an assist last fall return to West Virginia’s roster this year, including senior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran who led the team with six helpers in 2023. White and Heredia-Beltran return as WVU’s leading point earners, tallying 20 and 12, respectively, last season.
Of note, fifth-year senior midfielder AJ Rodriguez was named to the 2024 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, marking her first career preseason honor.
West Virginia was picked to finish seventh in the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Poll, as selected by the league’s 16 head coaches. The 2024 campaign marks the inaugural season for conference newcomers Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. The Mountaineers will face Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado this season.
Thursday’s matchup marks the first-ever meeting between West Virginia and Delaware. The Blue Hens are set to become the Mountaineers’ 121st different opponent all-time. Additionally, Delaware is the first of three new opponents for WVU this season, as it will meet Arizona State and Colorado for the first time. Over the last six years, WVU is 6-3-2 against first-time opponents.
Kelly Lawrence is in her second season as the head coach at Delaware, after leading the Blue Hens to a 5-5-8 record in her inaugural season at the helm in 2023. Lea Panagiotidis paced Delaware’s offensive efforts last season, leading the squad in goals (3), assists (3), points (9) and shots (19).
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
