Tech Set To Open Big 12 Quarterfinal Vs. No. 1 WVU

Wednesday, November 2

Kansas City, Mo.

11:30 A.M.

Texas Tech Athletics

West Virginia

Tech Set To Open Big 12 Quarterfinal Vs. No. 1 WVU

November 01, 2016 | Women's Soccer

Big 12 Notes vs. WVU Live Stream Live Stats Championship Central

The Red Raiders battle No. 1 West Virginia in the first round of the Big 12 Soccer Championship Wednesday.

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech soccer team travels to Kansas City for the Big 12 Soccer Championship to take on No. 1 West Virginia in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at Swope Soccer Village.

Last year, the Red Raiders claimed their first conference crown after defeating Oklahoma (2-1 OT) in the quarterfinal, West Virginia (1-0) in the semifinal and Kansas (1-0) in the championship match after entering the tournament as the fifth seed. This year, Tech will be the eight seed for the first time in program history and will play the opening match of the tournament. After Wednesday, Tech will have appeared in the Big 12 Soccer Championship all 10 years under head coach Tom Stone, with at least one berth as each of the eight seeds.

The last two meetings between the Red Raiders (9-7-2, 2-6-0) and the Mountaineers (16-1-1, 8-0-0) have resulted in 1-0 finishes. In last year's Big 12 semis, Janine Beckie tallied the lone goal in the 74^th minute of the match to hand West Virginia its second loss of the season and first shutout of the year. It was the first time the two teams have met in the Big 12 Tournament. The 2016 regular season contest between the two was played in Morgantown, where the match remained scoreless until a goal in the 82^nd minute helped lift the Mountaineers to victory.

The Mountaineers enter the conference tournament in similar fashion as last season, posting a perfect conference record without allowing a single goal. In doing so, West Virginia has maintained a No. 1 ranking from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for several weeks, while climbing to No. 2 in the RPI poll. The offense is led by junior forward Michaela Abam, who has eight goals and 20 points this season. Abam was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, while senior Kadeisha Buchanan received Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The last conference team the Mountaineers gave up a goal to was Texas Tech in last year's Big 12 semifinal.

Needing a win, the Red Raiders got the result they needed on Friday, Oct. 28, against Oklahoma on senior night. With the match in the second overtime, a couple of touches from Carly Wickenheiser and Mary Heiberger put the ball at the feet of Jade King, who fired a strike from 16 yards out off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net for the golden goal. Her third game-winner of the season came at the perfect time, punching their ticket to the Big 12 Championship and extending their year.

The victory over Oklahoma also improved the Red Raiders' RPI from No. 56 to No. 42, with another opportunity to improve their postseason standing with a result against West Virginia on Wednesday.

AWARDS SEASON
Freshman forward Jade King was honored by the Big 12 as Freshman of the Week on Oct. 31 for her performance against Oklahoma. It was the second time this season she's earned one of the weekly accolades, taking home Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27. King holds two of the four awards earned by Red Raiders in 2016, as Rebekah O'Brien was named Defensive Player of the Week the same day as Jade's Offensive honor, and Jordie Harr picked up the first Freshman of the Week award of the season on Aug. 23.

RECOGNIZED AS BIG 12'S BEST
Four Red Raiders were named to the 2016 All-Big 12 teams, as voted on by the league's coaches. Senior goalkeeper Lauren Watson was selected to the first team, making her the first Tech keeper since 2013 to earn the distinction. Sophomore midfielder Gwennie Puente posted second team honors, while Jordie Harr & Jade King were selected to the All-Freshman team. Both Harr & King were unanimously voted on by the Big 12 coaches. The two freshmen honorees tied for Kansas with the most on this year's team. Tech's four overall honorees are the most since the Red Raiders had five named to the three squads in 2014.

GETTING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
Texas Tech had 14 recognized by the conference for the 2016 Academic All-Big 12 teams. Among the 14, four were nominated with 4.00 GPAs. Both figures lead among the 10 member institutions. The four with the perfect GPAs are: Brooke Denesik, Mary Heiberger, Gwennie Puente and Lauren Watson. The other 10 first team members include: Margaret Begley, Cassie Boren, Maddy Crabtree, Meagan McCullough, Rebekah O'Brien, Gabbie Puente, Natalie Schmutz and Carly Wickenheiser. Cassie Conarty and Jordan Duke were named to the second team.

FORMATION
Through 18 matches, the Red Raiders have trotted out 16 different starting lineups. The opening night starting XI was repeated in the third match of the year against Arizona. The other two contests where there was a similar lineup came during the middle of the year when the Red Raiders were on the road at Loyola Marymount and in the Big 12 opener at Kansas.

BUILDING A WALL
Watson entered the season with 168 career saves, needing only seven to move into No. 5 on the career saves list at Texas Tech. After recording nine against Arizona and two more in the win over Northeastern, along with her four in the opening weekend, she took sole possession of the fifth spot in the standings. Her nine saves against Arizona on Aug. 26 are tied for the most in a single-match by a Big 12 goalkeeper this season. Last weekend, she added two more saves at home against Oklahoma, giving her 77 this season for a career total of 245. In the Iowa State match, she passed Victoria Esson for fourth all-time at Texas Tech at 213. The third-place keeper, Megan Knauss, put together a career mark of 266 saves from 2002-05. Her nine saves against the Longhorns are the most for a Big 12 keeper in a conference match this season.

-3.5
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Watson posted her sixth shutout of the season on Oct. 28 after a 1-0 victory at Oklahoma on senior night. Her total ranks third in the conference standings. Already sitting in second place in the all-time records at Texas Tech in career shutouts, she is now 3.5 behind school record holder Victoria Esson for the lead in the category with 25.5.

IRON WOMEN
The Red Raiders have had 13 different players log all 90+ minutes of action in at least one match this season. Leading the way is senior keeper Lauren Watson, who has been in goal for every minute of every contest in 2016. Defenders Rebekah O'Brien and Brooke Denesik follow closely behind in full-matches played with 13 each. The other 10 competitors to have accomplished the feat so far include: Cassie Boren (9), Carly Wickenheiser (6), Jade Dapaah (3), Mary Heiberger (3), Jordan Duke (2), Jordie Harr (2), Gwennie Puente (2), Cassie Conarty (1), Jade King (1) and Margaret Begley (1). Included in those 13 are five who have played in all 103+ minutes of Tech's three overtime contests this season, as Watson & O'Brien played the entirety all three.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
Tech has had nine different goal scorers in 2016. On Sept. 23 in Lawrence, No. 9 came from junior defender Cassie Conarty, who found the ball at midfield against Kansas, dribbled it up near the Jayhawk box, then fired a shot to the right-side of the goal for the score.

CAREER FIRSTS
Seven Red Raiders have notched their first career goals during the 2016 season. The last to do so was sophomore midfielder Jordan Duke, who tallied the lone goal over ORU on Sept. 9 with a header after locating a corner kick from sophomore defender Margaret Begley from the far side of the field. While three are freshman, the other half have come from two juniors (Rebekah O'Brien & Natalie Schmutz) and two sophomores (Cassie Boren & Duke).

YOUNG FIREPOWER
Texas Tech freshmen have put up nine of the team's 20 goals this season. Six have come from the team-leader in goals, forward Jade King, while midfielder Jordie Harr and redshirt freshman defender Gabbie Puente have posted two and one scores, respectively, in 2016.

KING'S KINGDOM
Freshman forward Jade King is a threat to put a ball in the back of the net every time she touches the ball. She notched her team-high sixth goal of the season on Oct. 28 in the 1-0 double overtime thriller against Oklahoma. Her two scores against Iowa State are the most by an individual player in a single conference match this season. She sits in second in overall in the league in shots (72) and shots per game (4.00), while maintaining her top 35 NCAA ranking in the latter at No. 34.