Men's Soccer: WVU Too Much For St. Francis
September 12, 2003 07:21 PM | General
September 12, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University men's soccer team (3-2-0) defeated St. Francis (0-4-0) 1-0 on Friday, Sept. 12, in Loretto, Pa.
Sophomore Devon McTavish buried his second goal of the season unassisted in the 69th minute of play to help the Mountaineers sneak by the Red Flash.
"McTavish hit a fantastic goal," said Head coach Mike Seabolt.
Despite the close score WVU gave St. Francis few opportunities to net a goal. The Red Flash fired off only three shots in the first half and none in the second. Big East rookie of the week Nick Noble was only forced to make two saves in 90 minutes of goal tending.
"We did a great job defensively and took a big step forward on learning how to finish out games with a lead," said Seabolt.
The Mountaineer offense recorded 11 shots in the match.
The win marks the first time that the team has been over the .500 mark since Sept. 14, 2002, before they were defeated 2-0 by Connecticut. It also marks the first time the team has started out with their first five games being decided by a goal or less since 1987. That team went 1-2-2 over their stretch and finished with an 8-8-2 record.
The Mountaineers open up their home schedule on Sunday, Sept. 14, when they host Robert Morris as part of Super Soccer Sunday after the women take on St. John's. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
Scoring Summary: McTavish (68:36)
Shots: WVU-11; SFU-3
Corners: WVU- 3; SFU-1
Fouls: WVU-14; SFU-18
Goalkeeping: WVU- Nick Noble, 0 GA 2 Saves 90:00 minutes; SFU- Bobby Pipech, 1 GA 6 Saves 90:00 minutes
