Men's Soccer: WVU Prepares for Final Match
October 28, 2011 02:51 PM | General
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The No. 18 West Virginia University men’s soccer team will play its final match of the regular season at No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday, Oct. 29, at noon.
Both teams have clinched BIG EAST Tournament berths, but the match has major tournament implications for the Mountaineers. A win could possibly crown WVU as the Blue Division regular season champion, while a loss could drop the team to the No. 6 seed in the division.
“Notre Dame may be the best team we’ve faced all season. We have a lot of respect for coach (Bobby) Clark and what he has done with this program,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “I think this just shows the competitiveness from No. 1 through No. 6 in the Blue Division this season. That’s a testament to the level of soccer being played in this league.”
WVU (9-6-1, 5-3-0 BIG EAST) is coming off a 2-0 road win over Seton Hall on Wednesday evening. A penalty kick from midfielder Travis Pittman in the 42nd minute gave WVU the 1-0 lead, while forward Andy Bevin notched an insurance goal in the 61st minute to secure the victory.
Midfielder Shadow Sebele continues to lead the team in points with 19 (6 g, 7 a), while Bevin is close behind with seven goals and two assists for 16 points.
Goalkeeper Pat Eavenson started his fifth game of the season against Seton Hall and made one save in the shutout. Eavenson now has a 1.20 goals-against average and has made nine saves.
Notre Dame (8-3-4, 4-2-1 BIG EAST) enters the match on a three-game win streak that has featured victories over Georgetown (3-0), Pitt (3-1) and most recently, Providence (2-1). Notre Dame will still have a game to play at home against Seton Hall on Monday, Oct. 31, because of a rainout last weekend.
Ryan Finley and Harrison Shipp have been offensive standouts for Notre Dame, leading the team with 12 points. The duo each has five goals and two assists. Adam Mena and Danny O’Leary are tied for second in scoring with three goals. Mena and Dillon Powers are leading in assists with four.
Will Walsh has started at 15 games in goal for the Fighting Irish and has allowed 13 goals, while making 56 saves for a 0.80 goals-against average.
Both teams have clinched BIG EAST Tournament berths, but the match has major tournament implications for the Mountaineers. A win could possibly crown WVU as the Blue Division regular season champion, while a loss could drop the team to the No. 6 seed in the division.
“Notre Dame may be the best team we’ve faced all season. We have a lot of respect for coach (Bobby) Clark and what he has done with this program,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says. “I think this just shows the competitiveness from No. 1 through No. 6 in the Blue Division this season. That’s a testament to the level of soccer being played in this league.”
WVU (9-6-1, 5-3-0 BIG EAST) is coming off a 2-0 road win over Seton Hall on Wednesday evening. A penalty kick from midfielder Travis Pittman in the 42nd minute gave WVU the 1-0 lead, while forward Andy Bevin notched an insurance goal in the 61st minute to secure the victory.
Midfielder Shadow Sebele continues to lead the team in points with 19 (6 g, 7 a), while Bevin is close behind with seven goals and two assists for 16 points.
Goalkeeper Pat Eavenson started his fifth game of the season against Seton Hall and made one save in the shutout. Eavenson now has a 1.20 goals-against average and has made nine saves.
Notre Dame (8-3-4, 4-2-1 BIG EAST) enters the match on a three-game win streak that has featured victories over Georgetown (3-0), Pitt (3-1) and most recently, Providence (2-1). Notre Dame will still have a game to play at home against Seton Hall on Monday, Oct. 31, because of a rainout last weekend.
Ryan Finley and Harrison Shipp have been offensive standouts for Notre Dame, leading the team with 12 points. The duo each has five goals and two assists. Adam Mena and Danny O’Leary are tied for second in scoring with three goals. Mena and Dillon Powers are leading in assists with four.
Will Walsh has started at 15 games in goal for the Fighting Irish and has allowed 13 goals, while making 56 saves for a 0.80 goals-against average.
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