MEC Women's Soccer Semifinal Preview: #2S WV State vs #1N Frostburg State

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Soccer team is set to host West Virginia State on Wednesday evening in the semifinal round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament.

How They Got Here: Frostburg comes into the game as the North Division one seed, having clinched their fifth straight division title. FSU is riding a seven-game unbeaten streak and sports a record of 15-2-2, including an 11-1-2 MEC record, which is the second-best mark in the conference. They defeated West Virginia Wesleyan 1-0 in the quarterfinals on Sunday to advance.

WVSU finished the regular season with a record of 13-3-3, including an 11-2-2 record in conference. The Yellow Jackets took down West Liberty 5-0 at home in the quarterfinals.

The Matchup: WVSU has a narrow edge in the all-time series with a 2-1-1 record, including a 2-0 victory over the Bobcats earlier this season.

The Players: FSU is led by the conference's top defensive unit, including Defensive Player of the Year Cat Smith, which has allowed just 10 goals this season. Joining her on the defensive line is Second Team All-MEC selection Mei Homman, while First Teamer Katie Sterne is between the sticks as the conference's leader in save percentage (.885) and goals against (6). Offensively, All-MEC Honorable Mention Madi Allen leads the team in scoring with eight goals, while First Team midfielder Carly Gillette is second on seven goals and an assist.

West Virginia State's attack is headlined by First Team Member Sandra Linares, who finished second in the MEC in goals (15), while Sara Paris Filter was named Freshman of the Year (11 goals, 4 assists) and Leila Karam earned Honorable Mention (11 goals, 2 assists) as double-figure scorers. The midfield boasts three Second Team honorees in Karissa Vela (3 goals, 4 assists), Akira Tobaru (3 goals, 7 assists) and Alba Closa (2 goals, 4 assists), while defensively, Maxima Bellscheidt (First Team All-MEC) and Laura Galindo (Second Team) helped garner the conference's second-best defensive record with 13 goals allowed.

The Rest of the Field: Across the other matches of the MEC tournament, South Division champions Charleston (WV) defeated North four seed Wheeling and will host the North's two seed in Fairmont State.

Sunday, NOV. 10 - QUARTERFINALS
#4S WV Wesleyan at #1N Frostburg State – FROST W/1-0
#4N Wheeling at #1S Charleston – UC W/7-0
#3S Concord at #2N Fairmont State – FAIR W/2-1
#3N West Liberty at #2S WV State – WVSU W/5-0

Wednesday, NOV. 13 - SEMIFINALS
#2S WV State at #1N Frostburg State – 7 p.m.
#2N Fairmont State at #1S Charleston – 4 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 17 - CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinal Winners* - 1 p.m.

* at highest seed
All game times subject to change at MEC discretion