Men's Soccer: WVU Travels to No. 25/23 Ohio State
October 20, 2009 03:04 PM | General
October 20, 2009
Ohio State Match Notes | LIVE STATS
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Riding an eight-match unbeaten streak, the 20th-ranked West Virginia University men’s soccer team will play its final non-conference match at No. 25/23-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Kickoff at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m.
The Mountaineers (6-2-5, 5-1-2 BIG EAST) won their last match on Oct. 17, defeating then-No. 22-ranked Notre Dame, 1-0, on the road. Sophomore Alex Silva scored the game-winning goal in the 48th minute. Redshirt junior Zach Johnson made eight saves en route to his eighth clean sheet of the year.
Offensively, the Mountaineers are led by Silva, who has three goals and seven points through 13 matches. Freshman Abel "Shadow" Sebele is second on the team in points (6) and leads the team in assists (4).
Defensively, the Mountaineers are holding their opponents to less than 10 shots per contest and a lowly 0.055 shot percentage.
Johnson has started all 13 matches for WVU, allowing only seven goals and making 47 saves. His 0.49 goals-against average clip ranks him eighth nationally, while his 0.870 save percentage is 12th-best among all Division I goalkeepers.
The Mountaineers are 10-6-3 all-time against the Buckeyes, winning four of the last six matches.
Ohio State enters the match with an 8-3-3 overall mark, including a 2-1 record in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes, who have won three of their last four, recently defeated then-24th-ranked Penn State on Oct. 18, 2-1. Austin McAnena and Konrad Warzycha recorded goals in the win.
The Buckeyes’ McAnena leads the team with 11 points and is tied with Doug Verhoff in the goals department (4). Chris Hegngi is third on the team with three scores, while five other Buckeyes have scored one goal apiece this season.
Matt Lampson and Ryan Dalton have split time in net, with Lampson starting four of the last five contests. Lampson has started 10 games, allowing eight goals and making 40 saves. He owns five clean sheets and has a 0.833 save percentage.
OSU is under the direction of coach John Bluem, who is in his 13th season with the Buckeyes and owns a 135-93-34 program record. The team returned six of its starters from the 2008 team, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
