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WVU Welcomes Penn to DDSS Tuesday at 7 p.m.
November 02, 2015 02:32 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team begins the final week of the regular season when it hosts Penn on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Tickets can be purchased at the DDSS ticket office or in advance at WVUGAME.com. Admission is free for WVU students with a valid ID.
Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream on WVUsports.com, presented by CityNet. DJ Jamiel and Caroline Szwed will be on the call. Live stats can be found at WVULiveStats.com, and updates will also be available on social media by following and connecting with @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineers (6-10, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) host the Quakers (2-9-2, 1-3-1 Ivy League) for the first time in program history after WVU earned a 1-0 victory on the road last season in the first meeting between the two teams. Penn is WVU’s second Ivy League opponent of the season, after West Virginia traveled to Princeton on Oct. 20.
WVU is among the conference and national leaders in several statistical categories. The Mountaineers are No. 12 in the nation and first in the conference with 2.06 assists per game, and 10th nationally with 33 total assists. West Virginia’s 4.13 saves per game is first in the MAC.
Individually, Sophomore Joey Piatczyc continues to lead the nation in assists. He is averaging 0.75 assist per game and is also first with 12 total assists. Freshman goalkeeper Alec Boerner ranks No. 2 in the MAC with 41 total saves and 3.73 saves per game. Senior Zak Leedom is third in the MAC with six total assists, and senior Jamie Merriam’s three game-winning goals is the best in the league.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD FINALIST
Senior Jamie Merriam has been named a finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. He is one of 10 men’s soccer student-athletes to be honored for excelling both on and off the field. Student-athletes are recognized for their achievements in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition.
Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winners. Fans are encouraged to vote on the SeniorClassAward.com through Nov. 23. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. Fans can vote once a day on each device. More information on Merriam being named a finalist can be found on WVUsports.com.
SCOUTING PENN
Penn comes to Morgantown with a 2-9-2 record and a 1-3-1 mark in Ivy League play. The Quakers own a 3-0 win at Saint Josephs and a 2-0 victory vs. conference foe Cornell. Penn opened the year with a 0-0 draw in double overtime vs. then-No. 7 Washington, while UP also has a 3-0 loss to No. 23 Temple and a 2-0 defeat to No. 21 Penn State. The Quakers are coming off a 2-1 loss at Brown on Oct. 31.
Rudy Fuller is in his 18th season as head coach of the Quakers. He owns a record of 126-144-31 at Penn, with three Ivy League championships, in 2002, 2008 and 2013. UP has made four NCAA Tournaments, most recently in 2013, and Fuller has coached 71 All-Ivy players.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE QUAKERS
West Virginia is 1-0 all-time against Penn after a 1-0 road victory a year ago. On WVU’s first chance of the match, Mike Desiderio scored in the eighth minute that lasted as the match winner. Desiderio scored off a free kick from Andy Bevin to the right of the Penn goalkeeper. Bevin drew a foul on the left side of the pitch and sent in a perfect pass to Desiderio from 30 yards out.
UP NEXT: VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
West Virginia closes out the regular season against Northern Illinois on Friday, Nov. 6. The Senior Day matchup will now begin at 6 p.m., an hour earlier than originally scheduled. Before the match, WVU will honor its senior class of Haydon Bennett, Ivo Cabral, Ryan Cain, Francio Henry, Griffin Libhart, Zak Leedom and Jamie Merriam.
LAST TIME OUT: VS. NO. 6 AKRON
West Virginia fell to No. 6 Akron, 2-0, on Oct. 28, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers controlled play for much of the second half, but could not find the back of the net. The sixth-ranked Zips were WVU’s highest ranked opponent of the season and West Virginia’s first top-six foe at home since 2011.
WVU had eight shots, seven in the second half. All four of WVU’s shots on goal came in the final 45 minutes. Akron had nine shots, four in the second half, with just three shots on goal, two in the second half.
Senior Jamie Merriam led the team with three shots, one on goal, while sophomore Joey Piatczyc had two shots, both on goal. Junior Jack Elliott recorded WVU’s fourth shot on goal.
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