MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia women’s soccer team returns to Morgantown to play host to Kansas State in the home opener today. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
Andrew Caridi and Adam Zundell have the call 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.
Due to safety precautions from the COVID-19 pandemic, only essential game operations personnel and families of the players and women’s soccer staff will be admitted into the stadium.
“We have a good foundation, and now we just have to build off it,” WVU coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “Like all teams, we lost some development time in the spring, not only soccer-wise for tactics and technical, but just knowing the kids and what type of kids they are in those performing opportunities. But I was really pleased with our mindset going into last week’s game.”
Today marks the fourth meeting between the Mountaineers (1-0, 1-0 Big 12) and Wildcats (0-1, 0-1). West Virginia is 3-0 all-time against K-State, including last season’s 3-0 victory on Oct. 27, in Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas State has never scored against WVU, and it is one of three Big 12 foes to never defeat WVU (Iowa State and Oklahoma).
West Virginia is 12-3-1 in home openers at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, which opened in 2004. The squad also is 28-4-2 at home against Big 12 opponents since joining the league in 2012.
WVU is coming off a season-opening, 2-0 win at Iowa State on Sept. 11, at the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa. Senior midfielder Stefany Ferrer-vanGinkel netted the game-winning goal in the 13th minute, while junior forward Alina Stahl added an insurance goal in the 84th minute. Defensively, junior goalkeeper Maddie Murphy made her Mountaineer debut, registering two saves and earning the shutout victory.
Following the contest, Ferrer-vanGinkel was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week.
