Men's Soccer: WVU-Duquesne Play to Draw
September 29, 2010 09:01 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 21/19 West Virginia University men’s soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to five games by playing to a scoreless draw with Duquesne after two overtimes, on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, Pa.
“This is a difficult place to play. The field measures 112 by 70 which makes it difficult to find space. The way Duquesne plays, every ball was put in the box from the goal kicks and anything out of the back,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “It was a long ball, very direct style that they played, they kept dumping the ball into the box and it makes it difficult to come and get a result here.”
Both team played a sluggish first half that saw West Virginia (5-2-1) register six shots, two on goal and Duquesne (4-3-1) only recording five shots, one on goal.
Redshirt senior Zach Johnson notched his third-straight shutout and is now only three away from tying Nick Noble (37) for the most shutouts in a career at West Virginia.
Johnson had the most important play of the game, as he saved a penalty kick from the Dukes Stefan Lundberg with only 3:57 remaining in regulation to preserve the tie. Johnson was able to read Lundberg and sprawled to his left to make the stop, punching the ball out of harm’s way.
“That was the one time Zach was called on to make a play and unfortunately it had to be on a penalty kick, but he made the play,” LeBlanc commented. “I do not think they were dangerous outside of that, besides the times when they just played a direct ball over our back four. I thought he did better with that because every time they hit the ball over our back four, he had to be ready.”
The Dukes out-shot the Mountaineers, 15-13, while West Virginia held the corner kick edge at 6-2. The Mountaineers will return to BIG EAST play when they travel to Georgetown to take on the Hoyas at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.
“This is a difficult place to play. The field measures 112 by 70 which makes it difficult to find space. The way Duquesne plays, every ball was put in the box from the goal kicks and anything out of the back,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “It was a long ball, very direct style that they played, they kept dumping the ball into the box and it makes it difficult to come and get a result here.”
Both team played a sluggish first half that saw West Virginia (5-2-1) register six shots, two on goal and Duquesne (4-3-1) only recording five shots, one on goal.
Redshirt senior Zach Johnson notched his third-straight shutout and is now only three away from tying Nick Noble (37) for the most shutouts in a career at West Virginia.
Johnson had the most important play of the game, as he saved a penalty kick from the Dukes Stefan Lundberg with only 3:57 remaining in regulation to preserve the tie. Johnson was able to read Lundberg and sprawled to his left to make the stop, punching the ball out of harm’s way.
“That was the one time Zach was called on to make a play and unfortunately it had to be on a penalty kick, but he made the play,” LeBlanc commented. “I do not think they were dangerous outside of that, besides the times when they just played a direct ball over our back four. I thought he did better with that because every time they hit the ball over our back four, he had to be ready.”
The Dukes out-shot the Mountaineers, 15-13, while West Virginia held the corner kick edge at 6-2. The Mountaineers will return to BIG EAST play when they travel to Georgetown to take on the Hoyas at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.
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