Men's Soccer: WVU Advances on Penalty Kicks
November 03, 2006 10:12 PM | General
November 3, 2006
BOX SCORE
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| Nick Noble |
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team earned its first ever BIG EAST championship game berth on Friday, Nov. 3, after advancing on penalty kicks against Rutgers at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J.
WVU now has the chance to be the only team sport besides football and baseball to win a BIG EAST championship.
The No. 1-seeded Mountaineers (15-1-3) held the score at 0-0 despite playing the final 20 minutes of regulation and both 10-minute overtime periods down a man.
In penalty kicks BIG EAST goalkeeper of the year Nick Noble stepped up to be the hero as he stopped the No. 2-seeded Scarlet Knight’s second and fourth attempts to seal the match for West Virginia. Andy Wright, Andrew Halsell, Pat Carroll and Paul Cunningham all connected on their respective shots to give WVU a 4-2 decision in the shootout.
“Nick Noble is not only the most underrated, but maybe the best, goalkeeper in the country,” said WVU head coach Marlon LeBlanc after his team’s thrilling victory. “Rutgers is a great team and is very deserving of an NCAA tournament bid. We were fortunate to come out on top at the end of the day.”
The pivotal point in Friday’s match occurred with 20 minutes remaining in regulation when junior midfielder Dan Stratford went in for a slide tackle from the front on a Rutgers player. The referee blew the whistle for a foul, but went on to stop the clock and punish Stratford with a questionable red card. The London, England, native had only tallied three yellow cards the entire season entering the match with RU with no career red cards in three seasons.
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| Jyler Noviello |
Shortly after Stratford was sent off the RU offense had a breakaway that seemed destined for a challenging shot headed Noble’s way. However, senior forward Jyler Noviello came back on a run and performed a perfect slide tackle in the box to dispossess the Rutgers midfielder without producing a penalty kick or a shot on goal.
The Old Gold and Blue’s defense was stellar throughout the match as it allowed just two of Rutgers’ 15 shots to reach Noble. The Damascus, Md., native was up to the challenge when called upon though as his lone save in the second half was a sprawling dive to his right side that kept his 37th career shutout intact.
In the overtime periods the West Virginia back line gave up just two shots. The shutout was the 11th of the year.
The Scarlet Knights (10-6-2) allowed 10 shots in the match, forcing goalkeeper Matt VanOekel to make five saves.
The Mountaineers recorded a total of four shots with many of their goal scoring opportunities coming off long throw-ins from Carroll. WVU’s best attempt came in the 17th minute when the Springfield, Va., native whipped a long throw towards the middle of the goalmouth that Wright was able to get his head on. Wright’s shot seemed destined for the back of the net, but RU’s VanOekel made a spectacular diving save to his right side.
The Scarlet Knights tallied six shots in the first half but forced Noble to make just one save.
Awaiting West Virginia in the championship game on Sunday is St. John’s. The No. 3-seeded Red Storm defeated Providence, 2-0, earlier on Friday at Yurcak Field. The last times the two teams met was in 2004 when the Mountaineers upset St. John’s, 1-0, in the BIG EAST quarterfinals in Jamaica, N.Y.
Sunday’s championship match can be seen live on select BIG EAST television markets including Fox Sports Pittsburgh. Kickoff is set for noon.
