MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Members of the West Virginia University women's soccer team will declare Sunday Breast Cancer Awareness Day during their Oct. 17 matchup against Georgetown at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

The Mountaineers will dress the part, wearing pink Nike uniforms during the game, and present a donation of more than $12,000 to the WVU Betty Puskar Breast Cancer Fund during halftime. Fans will be provided pink bracelets, breast cancer awareness magnets and educational material about breast cancer.

“The Betty Puskar Breast Care Center here at WVU is a vital organization that plays a pivotal role in the ongoing fight against breast cancer,” WVU assistant coach Marisa Kanela said.

“The Center’s support and dedication to women battling this disease is truly inspiring. While we cannot change the disease itself, we hope that the continued support over the years that the women’s soccer team has brought to the community will help aid in the fight. Little by little each year we are trying to give courage to those fighting, to keep battling because they are not alone. Today these young ladies are not just fighting for a win, they are fighting for a cause.”

The WVU women’s soccer team raised $12,141 this past spring in its effort to help fight breast cancer. On March 6, the team competed in the “Three’s a Team … the Fourth’s a Mountaineer” all-day event at the Caperton Indoor Facility. The annual 4-on-4 tournament was open to boys and girls in grades three through eight, with an open division for college-age and older groups.

West Virginia also played Pitt and Akron in the seventh annual Betty Puskar Breast Care Center Soccer Invitational on April 10 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

The donation goes directly to the Betty Puskar Breast Cancer Fund, which supports diagnosis and treatment efforts and helps patients and their families in the midst of battling breast cancer.

“Speaking for the team, we know that many people are affected by breast cancer, and we want to let people know that we will fight for them,” junior soccer player Meghan Lewis said. “It is also our way to contribute and give something back, because this devastating disease affects many women, especially our friends and families.”

Fans are encouraged to wear pink at Sunday’s 1 p.m. contest against the Hoyas. Over the past seven years, the women’s soccer team has raised more than $60,000 for the Breast Care Center.

For more information on the Betty Puskar Breast Care Center, see www.hsc.wvu.edu/mbrcc/bpbcc.