Men's Soccer: WVU Opens Tournament Play
November 03, 2009 04:41 PM | General
November 3, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Blue Division No. 3 seed West Virginia University men’s soccer team opens BIG EAST Tournament play with a first-round match against Red Division No. 6 seed Rutgers on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Admission to the match is free for all students from a BIG EAST school with a valid student ID.
"For us, home field is important just because you get the opportunity to keep things as normal as possible,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “Home-field advantage is only as good as the crowd turns out. When it turns out in big numbers and is very boisterous, then you have a home-field advantage. For us, it's really just about the familiarity of the field, getting to sleep in your bed and getting to go through your own routine. I hope we have a big crowd that really turns Dick Dlesk into a home-field advantage."
The Mountaineers (7-4-6, 6-3-2 BIG EAST) concluded the regular season with a 2-0 victory at Seton Hall on Oct. 31 to earn the No. 3 seed and gain home-field advantage in the first round. Freshman Moeryhan “Peabo” Doue netted the game’s first goal in the 12th minute on a loose ball off of Seton Hall’s goalkeeper, Paul McHenry. Classmate Abel “Shadow” Sebele registered the Mountaineers’ second and final score of the game in the 41st minute. After Doue was dragged down inside the Pirates’ 18-yard box, the referee award WVU with a penalty kick, and Sebele drilled the ball past the goalkeeper for the score.
WVU’s defense was crucial in the win, as redshirt junior Zach Johnson only had to make four saves en route to his 10th clean sheet of the season. Freshman Eric Schoenle, who has played every minute in every match this season, made numerous stops on the back line. Senior Ryan Gillespie made a save in front of the goal with 21 minutes remaining in the first half to preserve the shutout.
Offensively, WVU is led by sophomore Alex Silva, who has scored three goals in 2009. Freshman Uwem Etuk, Sebele and Doue each have two goals this season. Sebele leads the team in four offensive categories: assists (5), points (9), shots (37) and shots on-goal (12).
Defensively, Johnson has started all 17 contests in goal, allowing just 10 scores and making 62 saves. The Lumberton, N.J., native owns a 0.54 goals-against average, which is ninth-best nationally. His 0.861 save percentage clip ranks 13th best in Division I.
As a team, WVU is outshooting its opponents, 193-164, and is holding the opposition to less than 10 shots per contest. WVU also is winning the corner kicks battle, 105-83 – most notably, 55-36 in the second half.
Rutgers enters the match with an 8-9 overall record, including a 5-6 mark in league action. The Scarlet Knights have a 2-6 overall road record and are 1-4 in conference road matches.
“They're always going to be a very good team,” LeBlanc says of Rutgers. “They are a tradition-rich program. Bob Reasso is Rutgers soccer. He's been there for as long as I can remember. I grew up New Jersey, so I knew Bob Reasso for 20-something years. That Rutgers team is always very good regardless of their record or injuries. They always have a very good, formidable team.”
In its last match, Rutgers upset then-No. 9 USF, 2-1, at home in double overtime. Dan Parr scored Rutgers’ first goal and Andrew Cuevas netted the game-winner in the 102nd minute. Ibrahim Kamara earned an assist on Parr’s goal, while Robbie McLarney was credited with an assist on the game-winning goal. Adam Klink made three saves in goal for Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights are led offensively by Kamara and Yannick Salmon, as each has scored six goals this season. Kamara ranks first on the team in points (14), shots (57) and shots on-goal (25). Outside of the duo, five other players have scored for Rutgers this season.
RU has utilized three goalkeepers this season, with Alex Morgans garnering the most time in between the posts. He has played in eight matches, allowed 13 goals and made 25 stops.
As a team, Rutgers is being outscored by its opponents, 30-19. RU’s opposition has been most successful in the opening period, outscoring Rutgers, 15-5. The Scarlet Knights also are losing the corner kicks battle, 93-87.
The Scarlet Knights are under the direction of Bob Reasso, who is in his 29th season at the helm of the program. He holds a 350-182-71 overall mark with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights finished the 2008 campaign with a 6-9-3 overall record, going 3-6-2 in BIG EAST action.
Should the Mountaineers advance, they will play at St. John’s on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff at Belson Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
