MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc will miss the 2017 season after sustaining a knee injury prior to the start of preseason practice. He had successful surgery last Friday.
 

"Obviously we are disappointed that our best player and captain is not available this season," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "However, we have a number of guys that now will have an opportunity to make a major impact on the 2017 season. We are looking forward to the season and are just as excited to have Joey back leading us in 2018."

Piatczyc, a native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, has played in 52 career matches with 48 starts for the Mountaineers. The Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year in 2014, he is a two-time All-MAC Team honoree and has earned several academic honors.

Last year, Piatczyc started all 16 matches and scored two goals and tied for the team lead with four assists, finishing third on the team with eight points. As a sophomore in 2015, he set the school record with 13 assists, ranking No. 2 in the country. Piatczyc's freshman season saw him record eight assists, second in the MAC and 14th in the nation.

Piatczyc ranks No. 1 in team history with 0.48 assists per game, is tied for second with 25 career assists and is second with 11 game-winning assists. He is two assists shy of matching the school record for both career assists and game-winning assists.

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