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Roadtrip Begins at MAC Foe Buffalo Friday
October 15, 2015 01:07 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Winners of four of its last five, the West Virginia University men’s soccer team begins a three match roadtrip at Mid-American Conference foe Buffalo on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Mountaineers (6-6-0, 1-0-0 Mid-American Conference) are coming off back-to-back shutout victories, including a 3-0 win over Penn State on Tuesday. The Bulls (5-5-3, 0-1 MAC) suffered a 2-1 loss to No. 8 Akron on Oct. 9. WVU looks to improve on a 6-0-1 mark against UB.
Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream and follow along with live stats on UBBulls.com. Updates will also be available on social media by following and connecting with @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
In WVU’s win over PSU, head coach Marlon LeBlanc won his 100th career match. With his first four wins coming at Penn State, LeBlanc owns a 96-65-27 record with the Mountaineers, four shy of 100 wins in the Gold and Blue.
In Tuesday’s win, sophomore Joey Piatczyc had an assist and a goal. It was his 12th assist of the year, tied for the most in a single season in program history. Additionally, the goal, in the 89th minute, was the first of his career.
WVU is among the conference and national leaders in several statistical categories. The Mountaineers are first in the nation with 2.58 assists per game, and second nationally with 31 total assists. West Virginia’s 6.42 points per game is tops in the MAC and 10th in the NCAA, while WVU is No. 16 in the country with 77 total points. Additionally, with 3.67 saves per game, WVU is first in the MAC.
Individually, Piatczyc continues to lead the nation in assists. He is averaging 1.00 assist per game and is also first with 12 total assists. Senior Zak Leedom is second in the MAC and No. 12 in the country with six total assists, and senior Jamie Merriam’s three game-winning goals is the best in the league.
SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo enters the weekend with a 5-5-3 record and an 0-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play after a 2-1 loss to No. 8 Akron on Oct. 9. The Bulls had been undefeated in their last four matches before the MAC opener. UB is 4-2-1 at home and has posted three shutouts on the year.
The Bulls are led by Stu Riddle, in his third year in Buffalo. Riddle is 13-26-9 and owns a career record of 47-62-17. Riddle came to UB from MAC foe Western Michigan.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BULLS
WVU is undefeated vs. Buffalo, with a 6-0-1 record, including three wins as MAC opponents. West Virginia is 2-0 in Buffalo after a 2-1 victory in 2013 and a 3-0 win in the series’ first meeting, in 1989. Under coach Marlon LeBlanc, the Mountaineers are 4-0-1, with the series’ lone tie coming in 2006, LeBlanc’s first season.
Last year, Andy Bevin recorded a hat trick as West Virginia earned a 3-0 home victory over Buffalo. All three goals came in the first half, and the WVU defense held the Bulls to six shots, just one on goal.
UP NEXT: AT PRINCETON
WVU’s three match roadtrip continues at Princeton on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The Mountaineers and Tigers meet at 7 p.m. in the first ever meeting between the two teams.
LAST TIME OUT: WIN VS. PENN STATE
Senior Jamie Merriam scored two early goals to propel WVU to a 3-0 win over Penn State on October 13. It was the Mountaineers’ fourth victory in their last five games, and the win was WVU’s fourth in its last six contests against PSU as coach Marlon LeBlanc won his 100th career match as a head coach.
Merriam gave West Virginia the lead early, with a goal in the 37th minute and again less than seven minutes later, at 42:40. Sophomore Joey Piatczyc netted his first career goal in the 89th minute to put the game away. Piatczyc added an assist, his nation-leading 12th of the year and tied for the most in a single season in program history.
The shutout, WVU’s fourth of the season and second in as many matches, came against 20 PSU shots and eight shots on goal. Freshman Alec Boerner earned his fourth win of the year and made five saves before junior Daniel Diaz played the second half and collected three saves.
Merriam’s two-goal game was his second of the season. He has a team-high six goals on the year, including three in the last two games and four in the last three.
LEBLANC IS MR. 100
With WVU’s 3-0 win over Penn State on Oct. 13, head coach Marlon LeBlanc won his 100th career match. LeBlanc’s milestone win came against his alma mater and where he earned his first victories. A 2000 PSU graduate, LeBlanc was an assistant coach at Penn State from 2001-05 and earned four wins as interim head coach in 2002. LeBlanc owns a 96-65-27 record in 10 seasons at West Virginia, four shy of hitting 100 wins with the Blue and Gold.
A SEASON OF ASSISTS
Sophomore Joey Piatczyc has notched 12 assists in 2015, tied for the most in a single season in program history. He continues to lead the country in both total assists and assists per game. Piatczyc has assisted on 12 of WVU’s 23 goals.
In WVU’s 6-0 win over San Francisco on Aug. 30, Piatczyc posted a program-record four assists. In WVU history, 14 players had tallied three assists in a game, but Piatczyc became the first to record four helpers in a contest.
After the sophomore’s record match, he was rewarded with several local and national honors. Piatczyc was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week on Sept. 1, in addition to earning Student-Athlete of the Week accolades by WVU Athletics. He was also nominated for the Hero Sports Division I Men’s Soccer Stud of the Week.
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