Men's Soccer: WVU-Michigan Play to a Draw
August 23, 2009 04:20 PM | General
August 23, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In front of approximately 700 fans, the West Virginia University men’s soccer team played Michigan to a 1-1 draw in exhibition on an overcast Sunday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Both team’s goals came in the second half of play.
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| Sophomore Alex Silva scored on a penalty kick in Sunday's contest.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
Sophomore Alex Silva struck first for WVU with 38:33 remaining in the second half. On an attack, Michigan was whistled for a hand-ball inside the box, giving the Mountaineers a penalty kick. Silva setup and sent the shot into the upper-left side of the net, beating UM goalkeeper Chris Blais for the score.
Moments later, it was Silva again heading up the offense for the Mountaineers. Streaking up the right side with numbers, he sent a cross into the box that just trickled past freshman Uwem Etuk and was collected by Michigan’s goalkeeper.
"It's just one of those things where we're young and we're going to get better,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “We had a lot of opportunities to score goals, and if anything is clear, I think we're going to be a dangerous team going forward. That's probably pretty clear to anyone who was watching the game."
Michigan knotted the game at one apiece on a small scramble inside the box. Latif Alashe slipped a shot past redshirt junior goalkeeper Zach Johnson for the score.
WVU regrouped and with 22-minutes remaining, put a scare into Michigan with an attack inside the box. Senior Jason Bristol sent a sharp header that was stopped by Blais. However, sophomore Adam Mills was there for the rebound and headed the ball toward the net, but was again stopped by the Michigan goalkeeper.
Two minutes later, freshman Moeryhan “Peabo” Doue brought the ball into the 18-yard box and laced a shot that was heading on-goal. Blais was able to punch out the shot, preventing the Mountaineers from going ahead on the scoreboard.
The Mountaineers finished the contest with nine shots, four of which were on-goal. A total of 16 players saw action in the 90-minute contest.
"I think the freshman class is as good as advertised. It was missing two major components in Travis Pittman and Eric Schoenle, who we held out for precautionary measures,” LeBlanc adds. “They'll be back in there for Virginia. I think that whole group with Peabo and Uwem and all those who were out there - they're physically up to the challenge. I think as they continue to get better, that's not a bad exhibition for the young guys for their first collegiate game."
The Mountaineers will play their second and final exhibition on Aug. 29, when the team heads down to Charlottesville, Va., to take on Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
WVU officially opens the 2009 campaign with its annual WVU/NIKE Classic, presented by Jerseys Subs on Sept. 4. WVU will play host to 2006 national champion UC-Santa Barbara at 8 p.m.
