The West Virginia University women’s soccer team prepares for its final road trip of the regular season, when it heads to Manhattan, Kansas, to take on Kansas State on Thursday, Oct. 12. Kickoff at Buser Family Park is slated for 8 p.m. ET.
The match will be broadcast live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while live stats are available at WVUsports.com.
Thursday’s match marks the seventh meeting between West Virginia and Kansas State, as WVU holds an unbeaten record in the series at 5-0-1. Last season, the two teams met in the regular-season finale in Morgantown, with WVU earning a 1-0 win on Senior Night. Then-senior forward/defender Julianne Vallerand scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute to lift West Virginia to victory. All six meetings between the teams have been under head coaches Nikki Izzo-Brown and Mike Dibbini.
West Virginia’s weekend at home concluded with a 1-0 win over Oklahoma State during the Mountaineers’ annual “Pack It Pink” match on Oct. 8. The two teams played in a scoreless tie for most of the match, but sophomore forward Taylor White broke through in the 68th minute to propel West Virginia to the victory. Senior midfielder AJ Rodriguez earned the assist on White’s game winner.
Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Kayza Massey and the Mountaineer defense also earned their second shutout of the weekend against OSU, as Massey made two saves and the back line held the Cowgirls to just three shots on goal.
So far this season, White leads the team with eight goals and 18 points, while junior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran holds the team lead in assists (6) and shots (29).
Mike Dibbini, the program’s first and only coach, is in his eighth season at the helm in Manhattan, leading the team to an overall mark of 33-83-18. The Wildcats are 3-9-3 this season and 1-5-1 in Big 12 play, coming off a 2-0 loss to BYU on Oct. 9. Jazmin Brown leads the K-State offense in goals (3) and points (6), while keeper Murphy Sheaff has corralled 66 saves this season.
