Men's Soccer: WVU Travels to Marquette
October 02, 2009 01:05 PM | General
October 2, 2009
Marquette Match Notes
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Riding a three-match winning streak, the West Virginia University men’s soccer team will resume action at Marquette on Saturday, Oct. 3. Kickoff at Valley Fields is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.
WVU (4-2-2, 3-1-0 BIG EAST) is coming off a 2-1 overtime victory at home over DePaul on Sept. 27. Despite trailing 1-0 at the end of the first period, the Mountaineers came out in the second half with a strong attack, out-shooting the Blue Demons 11-4 in the period. In the 83rd minute, freshman Travis Pittman tied the game with his first collegiate goal on a corner kick from classmate Abel “Shadow” Sebele – the Sept. 28 BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. Then, senior Gift Maworere notched the game-winner in the 95th minute on a shot just outside the six-yard box. Sebele and Pittman were credited with assists.
Six different Mountaineers have tallied at least one goal this season, with sophomore Alex Silva leading the way with two scores. He is tied with Sebele for the most points (5) on the team.
Defensively, WVU is limiting teams to less than eight shots per contest, with a little more than three on-goal. Between the posts, redshirt junior Zach Johnson has started all eight matches, making 19 saves and allowing just six goals – a 0.69 GAA.
The Mountaineers, who are 3-0-1 all-time against Marquette, also will be looking to regain the services of junior Dan Hagey, who has been out with an injury since WVU’s exhibition match against Michigan on Aug. 23.
“Hagey is questionable still, but he will make his first trip with us this weekend,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “Whether or not he plays is still to be determined. The hopes are that we can get him some minutes over the next couple of games to build him back up.”
Marquette enters the match with a 2-4-2 overall mark, including a 1-1-2 record in the BIG EAST. In their last match, the Golden Eagles finished in a 2-2 double-overtime draw with then-No. 9/7-ranked Louisville on Sept. 27. The squad rallied from a 2-0 deficit and received goals from Billy Von Rueden and Amilcar Herrera to tie the match. Both teams finished with 15 shots apiece, with Marquette holding a 10-6 advantage in corner kicks.
“Marquette's a very committed team. Louis Bennett is a fantastic teacher and coach,” LeBlanc adds. “He's really molded the program into his image and what he wants it to be. We're getting an organized, motivated and very energetic team that believes they can beat anybody with their result against Louisville. It's going to be a significant test for our young team.”
Offensively, the Golden Eagles are led by Calum Mallace, who ranks first on the team in goals (2), points (4), shots (32) and shots on-goal (16). Four other Marquette players have tallied one goal apiece this season. In goal, Matt Pyzdrowski has started seven of the team’s eight matches. He has made 27 saves and owns a 1.40 goals-against average.
Marquette is under the direction of fourth-year coach Louis Bennett, who holds an 8-41-11 overall mark. The Golden Eagles went 3-10-4 last year, including a 1-8-2 mark in the BIG EAST.
