Men's Soccer: WVU to Conclude Regular Season
October 30, 2009 10:59 AM | General
October 30, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team will wrap up its regular season on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Seton Hall. Kickoff at Owen T. Carroll Field is set for 7 p.m.
WVU (6-4-6, 5-3-2 BIG EAST) is coming off a 1-0 overtime loss at home to Providence on Oct. 28. PC’s Timothy Ritter scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd to give the Friars the victory. Freshman Travis Pittman led WVU with three shots, while classmate Uwem Etuk recorded two shots in the loss. As a team, the Mountaineers outshot the Friars, 11-9, and held a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Offensively, WVU is led by sophomore Alex Silva, who has three goals on 13 shots this season. Freshman Abel “Shadow” Sebele leads the team in four categories: assists (5), points (7), shots (36) and shots on-goal (11).
In goal, redshirt junior Zach Johnson has started all 16 games for the Mountaineers. He has allowed only 10 goals in 1,586 minutes. Johnson owns nine clean sheets this season. His 0.57 goals against-average and 0.853 save percentage both rank among the top 20 nationally.
Collectively, the Mountaineers are outshooting their opponents, 174-156, and have a 97-77 advantage in corner kicks. Defensively, WVU is holding opponents to less than 10 shots per contest and a 0.064 shooting percentage.
Seton Hall enters Saturday’s match with a 4-9-3 overall mark, including a 1-6-3 record in BIG EAST action. The Pirates have lost their last three matches. Most recently, Seton Hall fell at Pitt, 3-2, on Oct. 28. Samuel Petrone and Dritan Sela scored in the loss for the Pirates. SHU’s Andrew Welker recorded a team-high five shots. The Pirates outshot the Panthers, 16-13, but lost the corner kicks battle, 7-1.
Offensively, the team is led by Welker, who has eight goals and 19 points this season. He also leads the team in shots on-goal (19), is tied for the team lead in assists (3) and is second in shots (40). Sela has registered six goals in 2009 and leads the team in shots (44).
In goal, Paul McHenry has played in all 16 matches for the Pirates. In 1,496 minutes, he has allowed 29 scores, while making 86 stops. He holds a 1.74 goals-against average and a 0.748 save percentage.
As a team, Seton Hall is being outshot by its opponents, 261-213. Opponents also own the advantage in corner kicks, 98-66, and shots per game (16.3 to 13.3).
Seton Hall is under the guidance of Manfred Schellscheidt, who is in his 22nd season at the helm of the program. He owns a 225-154-45 record with the Pirates. In 2008, SHU finished the season with a 6-8-4 overall record, including a 2-5-4 mark in league action.
