Men's Soccer: WVU Set to Battle St. John’s
November 05, 2011 11:18 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. West Virginia men’s soccer team opens BIG EAST Championship play with a quarterfinal match against St. John’s on Sunday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The Mountaineers earned a first round bye as the No. 2 seed in the Blue Division after a 2-0 shutout of Notre Dame in the regular season finale last Sunday.
“I don’t know if it is as much of a disadvantage to the other team as people think, but I think the great advantage for us,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says of the first round bye. “We were missing some key players on that road trip and we had an extra week to get them better.”
West Virginia finished the regular season 10-6-1, including a 6-3-0 mark in BIG EAST play. WVU currently has a two game winning streak and has won six of its last eight matches.
WVU is 2-8-2 all-time against St. John’s, including a 1-3-1 mark in Morgantown. The two teams last played in 2007 with St. John’s defeating the Mountaineers 1-0. In 2006, St. John’s defeated the Mountaineers 1-0 in overtime for the BIG EAST Championship.
St. John’s comes into the match with an 11-6-2 record and is coached by 20th year coach Dave Masur. The Red Storm finished third in the Red Division this season, qualifying for the 21st consecutive season, tops among all BIG EAST members.
St. John’s advanced past the first round on Thursday evening when Tim Parker tallied his first-career goal as the Red Storm defeated Georgetown.
“There is no doubt that St. John’s comes to our field as the favorite. You’re talking about a team that’s won more BIG EAST Championships than any other school, a team that has been to 21 straight BIG EAST Tournaments and Dave Masur who is arguably one of the greatest coaches in college soccer history,” LeBlanc says. “I have a lot of respect for their program, what they do and who they are. Certainly they’re a program that’s been at the top of the league for many years and it will be a difficult opponent for us.”
Jack Bennett leads the team in points with 13 on five goals and three assists, while Walter Hines and Pablo Battuto Pundyed each have four goals. Jimmy Mulligan leads the team with four assists.
Alex Naples has made 12 stops in four starts this season after taking over for Rafael Diaz, who started the first 15 games of the season. Naples has allowed three goals and has recorded one shutout.
The winner of tomorrow’s match will advance to the BIG EAST semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
The Mountaineers earned a first round bye as the No. 2 seed in the Blue Division after a 2-0 shutout of Notre Dame in the regular season finale last Sunday.
“I don’t know if it is as much of a disadvantage to the other team as people think, but I think the great advantage for us,” coach Marlon LeBlanc says of the first round bye. “We were missing some key players on that road trip and we had an extra week to get them better.”
West Virginia finished the regular season 10-6-1, including a 6-3-0 mark in BIG EAST play. WVU currently has a two game winning streak and has won six of its last eight matches.
WVU is 2-8-2 all-time against St. John’s, including a 1-3-1 mark in Morgantown. The two teams last played in 2007 with St. John’s defeating the Mountaineers 1-0. In 2006, St. John’s defeated the Mountaineers 1-0 in overtime for the BIG EAST Championship.
St. John’s comes into the match with an 11-6-2 record and is coached by 20th year coach Dave Masur. The Red Storm finished third in the Red Division this season, qualifying for the 21st consecutive season, tops among all BIG EAST members.
St. John’s advanced past the first round on Thursday evening when Tim Parker tallied his first-career goal as the Red Storm defeated Georgetown.
“There is no doubt that St. John’s comes to our field as the favorite. You’re talking about a team that’s won more BIG EAST Championships than any other school, a team that has been to 21 straight BIG EAST Tournaments and Dave Masur who is arguably one of the greatest coaches in college soccer history,” LeBlanc says. “I have a lot of respect for their program, what they do and who they are. Certainly they’re a program that’s been at the top of the league for many years and it will be a difficult opponent for us.”
Jack Bennett leads the team in points with 13 on five goals and three assists, while Walter Hines and Pablo Battuto Pundyed each have four goals. Jimmy Mulligan leads the team with four assists.
Alex Naples has made 12 stops in four starts this season after taking over for Rafael Diaz, who started the first 15 games of the season. Naples has allowed three goals and has recorded one shutout.
The winner of tomorrow’s match will advance to the BIG EAST semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
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