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WVU Drops Double OT Heartbreaker at Princeton
October 20, 2015 10:48 PM | Men's Soccer
PRINCETON, N.J. – Princeton scored with two minutes left in the second overtime as the West Virginia University men’s soccer team lost on the road, 3-2, at Roberts Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Mountaineers (6-8) played their second overtime game of the season and faced an offensive attach from the Tigers (6-4-2) that featured 26 shots and 14 shots on goal.
Senior Ryan Cain netted a goal on a penalty kick in the 10th minute, and junior Mike Desiderio scored in the 86th minute, but each time Princeton answered, in the 20th minute and then 19 seconds after Desiderio gave WVU a 2-1 lead.
“We had two leads, and we let some poor officiating unravel us, and unfortunately with four minutes and change left, we didn’t close the game out,” WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “And then with two minutes left in overtime, an unfortunate error resulted in a free tap into the box. We have to recover quickly and get ready for Bowling Green. The guys battled hard tonight, but it literally came down to an unfortunate mistake in the back that cost us the result tonight.”
West Virginia had 11 shots, nine on goal, while Princeton posted 26 shots, 14 on goal. Freshman goaltender Alec Boerner had a career-best 11 saves, while Princeton’s keeper, Ben Hummel, stopped two shots.
Cain opened the scoring for the Mountaineers at 9:34 on a penalty kick for his team-high-tying sixth goal of the year. Cain earned the PK after he was brought down inside the box by a Princeton defender.
In the 20th minute, a heavy Princeton offensive attack was capped by a goal by Jeremy Colvin.
Desiderio gave the Mountaineers a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute. On a ball off a WVU corner kick, Desiderio was sitting 18 yards out, and the ball bounced off senior Haydon Bennet and found him for his second goal of the season. Bennett and senior Ivo Cabral earned assists on the play.
Just 19 seconds later, Princeton evened the score with a goal by Thomas Sanner.
Princeton earned the win with a goal at 108:00 Sanner tipped it in on a ball that bounced off Boerner.
The Tigers had several good scoring opportunities in the first half. Princeton outshot West Virginia 9-4, and held a 5-3 edge in shots on goal. Boerner made two saves to Hummel’s two.
Boerner’s busy night began in the fifth minute, when he caught a ball off a corner kick and then scooped up a cross near the net.
The Tigers tied the match in the 20th minute, but a tie game nearly came three minutes earlier, when Princeton had a 2-on-1 advantage inside the box. Boerner reached out to make the diving save, his third of the half.
Princeton had a chance to take the lead in the 42nd minute, but a shot from 20 yards out went high, followed by a nice save by Boerner on the Tigers’ next shot.
In the second half, Boerner made a great save in the 48th minute, as he dove towards the right corner of the net to tip a ball over the crossbar. Boerner fell into the side of the net, and was replaced in goal for 10:50 by junior Daniel Diaz.
Boerner returned in the 59th minute and continued to make several key saves for the Mountaineers.
WVU had a chance in the 83rd minute when Jad Arslan was taken down inside the box, but senior Jamie Merriam’s penalty kick hit the crossbar but couldn’t cross the end line.
In the second half, Princeton had 12 shots to WVU’s 4, while the Mountaineers had four shots on goal to the Tigers’ six.
In overtime, WVU had three shots and two shots on goal, both in the second overtime. Princeton had five shots in extra time, with three shots on goal, all in the second 10 minutes.
WVU’s three match roadtrip concludes at Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. The Mountaineers are 3-4-1 vs. the Falcons and 2-1-1 in league competition. A year ago, WVU earned a 2-1 win at home before a 3-2 loss in overtime in the MAC Tournament.
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