Men's Soccer to Open League Play
September 18, 2008 03:55 PM | General
By Ira Green for MSNsportsNET.com
September 18, 2008
GAME NOTES
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| The Mountaineers open BIG EAST play at home against Villanova on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team welcomes Villanova to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. in the BIG EAST opener for both squads. Two days later, the Mountaineers play host to Rutgers, ranked 20th in Soccer America, on Sunday, Sept. 21, at noon. The Sunday match serves as the first game of a doubleheader with the WVU women’s team, who are scheduled to play at 2 p.m.
Admission to home matches is free to WVU students who show a valid student ID.
The Wildcats enter Friday evening’s contest with a 3-2-0 mark. Villanova, who played its last game on Sept. 13, defeated Fordham on the road, 1-0, in double-overtime. The leading goal-scorer for the Wildcats, Sean Mergenthal, found the back of the net at the 108:25 mark off a corner kick.
Villanova returns seven of its 11 starters from 2007, including its top three scorers: Michael Seamon, who led the team with 20 points on nine goals and two assists, and Joe Taylor and Sean Mergenthal, who each tallied four goals a season ago. True freshman Chris Bresnahan has played all five matches between the posts for Villanova, allowing four goals, making 17 saves, and posting two shutouts.
Villanova is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Tom Carlin, who takes the reigns after spending one year as an assistant at the school. The Wildcats concluded 2007 with a 10-9-1 overall mark, 5-5-1 in league play.
The last time the two teams met was last year on Nov. 7. The Mountaineers came away with the 2-0 win at home, courtesy of goals from Jason Bristol and Dan Stratford. West Virginia (1-3-1) has won back-to-back home openers, knocking off Cincinnati, 2-0, in 2006 and DePaul, 1-0, in 2007.
Rutgers comes to Morgantown following its BIG EAST opener at Pitt on Friday, Sept. 19. The Scarlet Knights recently knocked off then-sixth ranked UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, on Sept. 12. Dilly Duka scored two against the Gauchos and Gaetano Panuccio blasted in the game-winning goal.
The Scarlet Knights are coached by Bob Reasso, who enters his 28th season at the head of the program.
Amongst the 15 returning letterwinners for the Scarlet Knights, six are starters. Goalkeeper Amir Haghshenas, who did not play in 2007, has played all five contests between the posts, allowing five goals while making 11 saves, all prior to the match against the Panthers.
WVU is 2-0-2 in its last four meetings with Rutgers.
Six Mountaineers will miss both contests this weekend due to injuries.
The match against Rutgers on Sunday has been selected as “Dollar Day” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Colas available for just one dollar. Following the match, the WVU women’s squad will play host to Virginia.
