Aug. 30, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Eighth-ranked Penn State Women's Soccer (3-1-0) opens up a three-game road trip with the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday at the WVU 90 Minute Classic. The contest with West Virginia is slated for 7:00 p.m. and fans can follow it on Gametracker. Following Friday's match, Penn State will take on Pittsburgh in its second game of the classic on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Penn State is coming off a successful weekend as it won the Penn State Invitational with a plus-four goal differential. The Nittany Lions surrendered a heart-breaking game-winning goal to Stanford with under three minutes to play, as the No. 1 ranked Cardinal escaped Happy Valley with a 3-2 victory last Friday night. An over capacity crowd of 5,117 fans attended Friday's game, smashing the previous mark of 3,912 in 2010 against Virginia.
Just two days later this past Sunday, the Nittany Lions knocked off the Central Michigan Chippewas by a score of 5-0. Despite allowing 21 shots to the Chippewas, Penn State managed to score four first half goals, including two from senior Christine Nairn (Arnold, Pa.), to create early separation. Freshman Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) was the first one to put Penn State on the board as she netted her fourth goal of the season. Nairn would score the next two, with her first goal coming from nearly 35 yards out. Nairn's five goals on the season already eclipse her total from last year. The senior, who was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, also was credited with an assist on Weber's goal.
West Virginia enters the weekend with a 2-2 overall record, coming off a huge 1-0 win over No. 1 Stanford at Jeffrey Field last Sunday. Frances Silva scored in the 83rd minute to snap Stanford's 64-game regular season unbeaten streak. The Mountaineers' four goals have been scored by four different players including Silva, Kailey Utley, Kate Schwindel and Bry McCarthy. West Virginia dropped it season opener to LaSalle, but turned around to win two of its last three against Western Carolina and Stanford.
Penn State holds a 4-5 record all-time against West Virginia. The Nittany Lions rolled past the Mountaineers last season at Jeffrey Field. PSU put three on the board in the first eight minutes of play in that contest. Taylor Schram (Canonsburg, Pa.) notched a five-point night with three assists as the Nittany Lions set a new school record for most helpers in a game with nine. Midfielders Maddy Evans (Glenside, Pa.) and Jess Rosenbluth tallied three-point evenings, netting the first two goals to shock the Mountaineers.
Pittsburgh opens the weekend with a 4-1 overall record, doubling its win total from last year. The Panthers have won their last three contests, with the wins coming over Robert Morris, St. Bonaventure and Duquesne. Pitt is led by Roosa Arvas, who has eight points this season coming on one goal and six assists. Morgan Sharick leads the team with three goals while Alex Charlebois had two. Nicole D'Agostino has started and played all 450 minutes in goal for the Panthers, making 14 saves while allowing five goals in five contests.
Penn State owns an 8-0 advantage on Pittsburgh in the all-time series between the two squads. Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) notched her first career hat trick and 20th in program history as Penn State women's soccer ran away from Pittsburgh, 3-0, at Ambrose Urbanic Field last season in the Pitt Soccer Classic.
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