WVU Faces No. 3 USF
September 24, 2009 01:57 PM | General
September 24, 2009
USF Match Notes (9-25-09) | DePaul Match Notes (9-27-09)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team will continue BIG EAST play with a pair of matches at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium against No. 3/5-ranked USF and DePaul. The Mountaineers’ match with the Bulls is slated for Friday, Sept. 25, at 8 p.m., and WVU will follow with a 4 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 27, against the Blue Demons.
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| Freshman Eric Schoenle has started all six contests on the back line this season.
Courtesy of Allison Toffle |
The WVU-USF match has been designated as “Dollar Night,” with all tickets and select concessions available for purchase for just one dollar. Admission to the match is free for WVU students with a valid student ID.
“We earned three really important road points at Cincinnati,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says, “and with two BIG EAST games here and six points up for grabs, it was the right time to get a win and a couple of goals. Hopefully we'll be able to carry that momentum and pick up six points at home this weekend. We're focused on South Florida for Friday night, but we haven't forgotten about DePaul on Sunday. I think if we go out, stay consistent, and have our work-rate match our talent, our goal is to get two wins this weekend and have the advantage heading into next week of BIG EAST play.”
USF (5-0-1, 1-0-1 BIG EAST) opened league action like the Mountaineers last week. The Bulls played both matches at home, tying Marquette 1-1 on Sept. 18, and then recording a 2-1 victory over No. 21/23-ranked Notre Dame on Sept. 20. Bernardo Anor scored the Bulls’ lone goal against Marquette and Hasani Sinclair and Jorge Mora tallied goals in the victory over the Fighting Irish.
USF is led offensively by Anor, who has two goals this season, and Javed Mohammed and Mora, who have four points apiece in 2009. In goal, Jeff Attinella has started all six contests, allowing three goals and making 33 stops.
The Bulls posted a 15-5-3 overall record in 2008, going 7-3-1 in league action. The squad returns 19 letterwinners and seven starters from a season ago. USF is led by coach George Kiefer, who holds a 84-43-17 record in his eighth season with the program.
“First and foremost, we understand that USF is a very good club,” LeBlanc adds. “We have a lot of respect for them. For the most part, we have to have a pretty good game plan and attack it that way. We have to try to make the game as uncomfortable as possible for USF and also attack with numbers and go forward and score goals.”
The Mountaineers (2-2-2, 1-1-0 BIG EAST) are coming off a 2-0 victory at Cincinnati on Sept. 20. Freshman Uwem Etuk opened the scoring with the first goal of his career at the 31:28 mark. The Herndon, Va., native dribbled around two defenders into the 18-yard box and slipped the ball just inside the left post on the ground for the score. Sophomore Alex Silva tacked on an insurance goal – his second of the season – with less than 20 minutes remaining in regulation, and freshman Abel “Shadow” Sebele was credited with an assist.
WVU also was strong defensively, with brilliant play from seniors Jason Bristol and Ryan Gillespie, sophomore Raymon Gaddis, and freshman Eric Schoenle. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Zach Johnson made five saves en route to his third clean sheet of the season.
DePaul enters the weekend with a 4-3-0 overall record, including a 1-1-0 mark in BIG EAST action. The Blue Demons will face Pitt on Friday, Sept. 25, before traveling to Morgantown for Sunday’s match.
Last time out, DePaul earned a 2-1 victory in double overtime over visiting Marquette on Sept. 20. Antonio Aguilar scored the game-winning goal in the 108th minute for the victory. Two days prior, the Blue Demons lost to Notre Dame, 2-1.
The Blue Demons are led by Steffen Vroom and Aguilar, who have three goals apiece this season – Vroom, Aguilar and Mark Plotkin also have seven points apiece. In goal, Joe Ferrari has seen the most action, starting six contests and allowing nine goals and making 16 stops.
DePaul entered the 2009 campaign with 21 letterwinners from last year, seven of which were starters. The squad, which went 9-7-4 in 2008, is under the direction of Craig Blazer, who holds a 56-88-15 mark in nine seasons.
