University of Richmond Athletics
Women's Soccer Takes on Nationally-Ranked West Virginia Friday
09/14/2005 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2005
RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond women's soccer team will have its hands full this weekend with two powerhouses, hosting West Virginia University and visiting the University of Virginia, both of which are ranked in the top 20 in the nation. The West Virginia Mountaineers will travel from Morgantown to Richmond for the Spiders' home opener at First Market Stadium Friday night at 8 o'clock following the men's game against nationally-ranked VCU at 5:30.
The Spiders (2-3-1) head into this game coming off of a 1-1 tie in overtime with UNLV and a 1-0 loss to Florida Atlantic at the VCU/Eurosport Invitational this past weekend. Richmond freshman Jessie Wolfe (Germantown, Md.) led the Spiders with six shots against Florida Atlantic and finished the VCU/Eurosport Invitational with 10 shots in two games earning all-tournament honors. Freshman Susan Boyer (Paoli, Pa.) joined Wolfe on the all-tournament team for her strong play in the back.
Earlier this season, the Spiders went 1-1 at the JMU Invitational with a loss against JMU (3-2) and a win over East Carolina University (3-0). Richmond then beat Old Dominion (2-1) and lost to Oregon State (4-0) at the UNC Greensboro adidas classic.
The Spiders and the Mountaineers will now face each other for the first time since their one-time match-up in 2000 in the first round of the NCAA tournament where the Spiders seized a 5-1 victory. Five years later and now ranked No. 20 in the nation according to the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas poll, West Virginia heads to Richmond hoping to redeem that loss. Coming off of a 2-0 setback at Portland last Sunday, the Mountaineers are now 3-3-0 with a 3-1 win over Dayton in their season opener, a 1-0 loss at Virginia, a 2-1 loss at Pitt, a 1-0 win over Tennessee and a 1-0 win over Washington.
After facing West Virginia Friday night, the Spiders will then take on the University of Virginia (nationally ranked No. 12 according to the latest NSCAA/adidas poll) on Sunday afternoon at 5 o'clock in Charlottesville, Va.
University of Richmond Head Coach Peter Albright is optimistic and excited about the challenges that lie ahead. "West Virginia and Virginia are two of the best programs in the country. We look forward to the challenges that these match-ups present. I expect that this will bring out the very best in our team. These games are why we play."
