ECU Soccer Hosts No. 3 Virginia Tech Sunday Afternoon
September 13, 2014 | Soccer
ECU Game Notes 
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Riding a five-game winning streak and having won each match in shutout fashion, the East Carolina women's soccer team will host third-ranked Virginia Tech at 3 p.m., on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Johnson Soccer Stadium.
The Hokies (8-0) will become the highest-ranked women's soccer program ever to visit ECU, topping the sixth-ranked Memphis team that visited Greenville during the 2011 campaign.
ECU Students who attend Sunday's match will have the opportunity to enter a drawing with the chance to win a pair of free Boneyard tickets to next Saturday's sold out football game versus UNC at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Sunday will also be Youth Soccer Day at the stadium, where youth players receive free admission by wearing their team jerseys. Kids can also participate in a halftime Youth Soccer Parade. There will also be a post-match autograph session for fans with the team.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates earned their fourth road victory in a row with a 1-0 triumph at UNC Greensboro on Friday night, as senior midfielder Lexi Herring intercepted a goal kick just outside the goal box in the 69th minute and finished a shot into the right corner of the net. Saundra Baron made four saves to earn her fifth straight shutout and 12th of her career, as she has now held opposing teams scoreless for 452-consecutive minutes.
VERSUS VIRGINIA TECH
East Carolina possesses an all-time record of 0-2-1 against the Hokies, with the last meeting resulting in a 2-2 draw during the 2002 season. The last time Virginia Tech came to Greenville was during the 1996 season where it defeated ECU, 4-0. The Hokies, currently ranked third nationally, are the highest-ranked team to ever play at Johnson Soccer Stadium.
SCOUTING THE HOKIES
Virginia Tech reached the Final Four of last year's NCAA Tournament, but was defeated in the semifinals. This season, the Hokies have outscored opposing teams, 36-2, and are averaging 4.13 goals per game through eight matches. They are led by Murielle Tiernan's 6 goals and two assists while four non-starters have tallied multiple goals this season.
SHUTOUT STREAK
ECU is riding a five-match winning streak, including four-straight on the road at Western Carolina (8/24), George Mason (8/29), Francis Marion (9/1) and UNC Greensboro 9/12). The last time the Pirates won five-straight games via shutout was during the 1999 season
BARON'S BARREN NET
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Saundra Baron has five-straight shutouts, including four-straight on the road at Western Carolina (8/24), George Mason (8/29) and Francis Marion (9/1) and UNC Greensboro (9/12). She is the first ECU goalkeeper since Amber Campbell in 2007 to accomplish the feat.
SO FARY, SO GOOD
Freshman striker Brittany Fary has started each of the team's first six matches in 2014. The Centreville, Va., native scored her first-career goal in the 6-0 win at Francis Marion on Sept. 1 , earning her American Athletic Conference Rookie-of-the-Week honors.
SPITLER STRIKES
Senior Brianna Spitler and sophomore sister Lana scored both goals in the Pirates' 2-0 win over Davidson (9/1). Lana's goal was the third of her career and first game-winner. After scoring at Francis Marion four days earlier, it marked the first time Lana scored in back-to-back games.
GOALS GALORE
East Carolina scored six goals, including five in the second half, in its win at Francis Marion(9/1), The half-dozen tallies were the most in a single game by a Pirate squad since it scored the same number against the Patriots in 2005.
FREY FIRING AWAY
Junior forward Kendall Frey took three shots and scored a goal in each game of ECU's back-to-back wins at George Mason (8/31) and Francis Marion (9/1). She followed that up with a career-high four-shot night and assisted on both goals in a 2-0 win against Davidson (9/5). Last season, Frey scored five goals in a six-game span, capped by a golden goal in a 1-0 win over UTEP in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament.
GAME-WINNING GEIST
Sophomore midfielder Jenna Geist scored her first-collegiate game-winning goal on a header off a Stephanie Seagrave cross in the 57th minute of ECU's 1-0 road win at Western Carolina on (8/24). The goal was Geist's second of her career.
HITE EXPECTATIONS
Sophomore defender Caitlin Hite was one of 11 players named to the Preseason All-American Athletic Conference Team. In 2013, she became the first freshman in program history to earn all-conference first-team recognition in addition to being listed on the all-freshman team.
ROSTER MAKEUP
The Pirates return 21 players from last year's squad that posted a 9-9-3 overall record and reached the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament in its final year as a member of the league. East Carolina graduated six players from 2013, but welcomed 11 new Pirates for the 2014 season.
