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No. 1 @WVUWomensSoccer Play TCU for #Big12 Title #PghSoccer

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The No. 1-ranked and top-seeded West Virginia University women’s soccer team plays for a sweep of the Big 12 Conference titles Sunday, as the Mountaineers face No. 7-seed TCU in the Big 12 Soccer Championship final on Nov. 6, at 3:30 p.m. ET, at Swope Soccer Village.

 

The championship match will be broadcast nationally on FS1. Links to stream the match and for live stats are available at WVUsports.com. Tickets are on sale now at Big12Sports.com.

 

Sunday is the Mountaineers’ (18-1-1, 8-0) third appearance in the final in four seasons. The Big 12 Soccer Championship victors in 2013 and 2014, WVU has won five conference championship titles since its first in the Big East Conference in 2007.

 

WVU rides an 11-match win streak into Sunday, with the last 10 victories coming in shut-out fashion. The Mountaineers show 14 clean sheets on the season, the second-best total nationally, and need one win and one shutout to match the program single-season records, both set in 2015.

 

“Both teams want to hoist that Big 12 trophy Sunday evening,” Mountaineer coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said. “It’s going to be a battle, and we’ll be ready.”

 

The Mountaineers and the Horned Frogs (12-5-2, 2-5-1) split their previous two meetings at the Big 12 Soccer Championship. No. 8-seeded TCU knocked top-seeded WVU out of the 2012 championship with a 2-0 win in the quarterfinals on Oct. 31, in San Antonio. Again seeded No. 1 and No. 8, respectively, WVU avenged the defeat with a 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals on Nov. 5, 2014, at Swope Soccer Village.

 

WVU is 5-1-1 all-time against TCU. The Mountaineers earned program-win No. 300 and clinched the 2016 Big 12 Conference regular-season title with a 3-0 victory in Fort Worth, on Oct. 21.

 “TCU played us so tough in October. We know they’re going to come out Sunday with a lot of adrenaline,” Izzo-Brown added. “They’ve won their last four games, and they’re playing with a lot of passion. It should be a great championship game.”

The WVU defense has allowed six goals all season, the best mark nationally; no Big 12 team has scored on the Mountaineers in 2016. The unit ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with a 0.29 goals-against average (GAA).

 

The Mountaineers’ 10-match shutout streak is the longest nationally since UCLA posted 10 straight clean sheets in 2014.

 

Junior Michelle Newhouse has made three saves in shut-out efforts en route to the championship finale. The Pinch, West Virginia, native shows a 0.30 GAA and is 6-0 between the posts this season.

 

Sophomore forward Sh’Nia Gordon has come on strong as of late, scoring one goal in each of the last three matches, including two game-winners. She ranks third on the team with 14 points (6 G, 2 A).

 

Junior forward Michaela Abam paces the Mountaineers with 22 points (8 G, 6 A), and WVU ranks No. 36 nationally with a 2.05 goals/game average.

 

TCU has won its last four straight matches and earned its championship bid with a come-from-behind, 3-2 overtime victory over No. 3-seed Baylor on Nov. 4. Down 2-0 at half, TCU scored twice in a two-minute span, and senior defender Meghan Murphy delivered the game-winner in the 98th minute.

 

Junior forward Allison Ganter paces with 19 points (8 G, 3 A) and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 with a 1.06 points/game average. Freshman Katie Lund has played in all 19 matches and shows a 1.09 GAA, allowing 15 goals and making 50 saves. She is 8-4-2 between the posts and shows three shutouts.

 

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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