Men's Soccer: Exhibition at Virginia
August 28, 2009 03:03 PM | General
August 28, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team will travel to Charlottesville, Va., for its second and final exhibition on Saturday, Aug. 29, against Virginia. Kickoff at Klöckner Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
In its first exhibition, WVU played Michigan to a 90-minute 1-1 draw. Both teams went into halftime scoreless, but the Mountaineers’ Alex Silva gave WVU the lead early in the second half. After Michigan was whistled for a handball inside the box, the Mountaineers were awarded a penalty kick. Silva, a sophomore, laced the shot top-shelf, beating Michigan goalkeeper Chris Blais for the score. Michigan tied the contest 16 minutes later.
WVU returns 13 letterwinners, including 2009 BIG EAST preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and preseason all-BIG EAST selection Zach Johnson and 2008 all-BIG EAST honorable mention Gift Maworere. The Mountaineers return nine starters and welcome 10 freshmen to this year’s squad. Coach Marlon LeBlanc enters his fourth season with the Mountaineers.
Virginia has lost both of its preseason matches. George Mason defeated Virginia, 1-0, in overtime on Aug. 21, and then Old Dominion took a 3-1 victory over Virginia on Aug. 24.
The Cavaliers returns 16 letterwinners from 2008, including Tony Tchani, who is on the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Watch List. Virginia finished the season with an 11-9-1 overall record and went 4-4-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The squad is coached by George Gelnovatch, who owns a 195-76-22 mark with the program.
The last time Virginia and WVU squared off during the season was in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, where the Mountaineers earned a 1-0 win in Morgantown.
WVU officially opens its 2009 season with the annual WVU/NIKE Classic, presented by Jerseys Subs, on Sept. 4. The Mountaineers will play host to UC-Santa Barbara, ranked 16th in the NSCAA and Soccer America polls, at 8 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
