Men's Soccer: WVU Falls to UConn in Semifinals
November 12, 2004 07:33 PM | General
November 12, 2004
Piscataway, N.J. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team fell 1-0 to UConn in the BIG EAST semi-finals on Friday, Nov. 12, in Piscataway, N.J., at Yurcak Field.
Both the Mountaineers (12-7-1) and the Huskies (11-7-2) struggled to find a rhythm in the game as a constant rain and cold weather hindered play throughout the 90-minute match.
UConn jumped out to the lead less than four minutes into the match. Sophomore defender Moshe Shalchon tried a bicycle kick off of a cross from a corner kick that found the crossbar and bounced back out to the middle of the penalty box. Sophomore Steve Sealy collected the rebound and booted a shot past WVU goalkeeper Nick Noble.
The Huskies controlled much of the first half, getting off five shots compared to WVU’s two. Connecticut also earned four corners in the first 45:00 minutes, while the Mountaineers could only force one.
In the second half the Mountaineers attempted desperately to knot the game, but to no avail. WVU put much more pressure on the Huskies after the half, however UConn’s defense would not allow a shot to reach goalkeeper Adam Schuerman.
With about a minute remaining the Mountaineers had a chance to tie the game as the ball bounced free off of a cross in the goal box, however two WVU players running onto the ball could not get a foot on the ball as it slid by on the wet surface.
Noble recorded three saves in the match, all in the second half.
The Mountaineers must now wait until Monday to see if they will receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.
Game Summary:
WVU- 0, UC-1
Scoring: UC- Steve Sealy (3:50),
Shots: WVU- 5, UC- 10
Corner Kicks: WVU- 4, UC-6
Fouls: WVU- 9, UC-7
Goalkeeping: WVU- Nick Noble, 1 GA, 3 saves, 89:14 minutes; WVU- Adam Shutler, 0 GA, 0 saves, 0:18 minutes; UC- Adam Schuerman, 0 GA, 0 saves, 90:00 minutes
