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Piatczyc Named Athlete of the Week
August 31, 2015 01:56 PM | Men's Soccer
Presented by:
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men’s soccer sophomore midfielder Joey Piatczyc has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.
In West Virginia’s 6-0 win over San Francisco, Piatczyc had a WVU-record four assists to help the Mountaineers record their highest scoring game since 1998.
Thirteen players had recorded three assists in a game, in program history, but Piatczyc became the first to notch four in a match. His first two assists came in the first 7:27 of the game and just 1:57 apart, finding senior Jaimie Merriam each time.
Piatczyc also assisted on WVU’s fourth and fifth goals, at 48:33 and 63:40, respectively. On the defensive side of the ball, Piatczyc helped the WVU defense hold USF to three total shots, none on goal. The six WVU goals are the most in Marlon LeBlanc’s 10 seasons and the most at home in 24 years.
This Week in Women’s Soccer: The No. 11/15 Mountaineers stay at home at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium for a showdown with No. 5/6 Penn State on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. ... the team will then face Villanova on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m.
Last Week in Women’s Soccer: WVU handed two opponents their first loss of the season and tallied two shutout wins, defeating Maryland, 1-0, on Aug. 28, at Ludwig Field, in College Park, Maryland, and Duquesne, 5-0, on Aug. 30, in the team’s home opener at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … senior forward Kailey Utley tallied the game-winner in both matches, scoring in the 25th minute at UMD and 2:47 into the match vs. Duquesne … Utley finished with five points (2 G, 1 A) on the weekend … in addition to Utley, junior midfielder Ashley Lawrence, sophomore forwards Michaela Abam and Amandine Pierre-Louis and freshman forward Nia Gordon all tallied goals against the Dukes … WVU held its opponents to seven combined shots, with UMD placing two on-goal … UMD failed to earn a corner, while DU earned one.
Notes and Quotes: WVU has posted shutouts in three of four matches this season and allowed just two goals … the Mountaineers tallied a season-high 38 shots against Duquesne, the fifth-most in program history and the team’s top total since taking 41 shots against the Dukes in a 1-1 double-overtime draw on Sept. 6, 2012 … WVU placed 17 shots on-goal vs. DU for the first time since placing 17 against Navy in a 4-0 win on Nov. 16, 2007 … WVU’s five goals vs. the Dukes were the team’s top mark since a 6-0 win against High Point on Sept. 16, 2012 ... 1,378 fans were in attendance for Sunday’s home opener, the 12th-best total in program history … Utley’s goal at UMD was her first career score in an opponent’s venue.
This Week in Men’s Soccer: The Mountaineers take to the road for the first time this season for a pair of matches against Big Ten competition in Michigan … WVU faces Michigan on Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. in Ann Arbor before a Labor Day matchup with Michigan State on Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. in East Lansing.
Last Week in Men’s Soccer: The WVU men’s soccer team opened the season with a 1-0 loss to Navy before a 6-0 victory over San Francisco on Sunday … Sunday, sophomore midfielder Joey Piatczyc had a WVU-record four assists to help the Mountaineers (1-1) to their highest scoring game in the Marlon LeBlanc era … the last time WVU recorded six or more goals was in 1998, a 7-0 win at Duquesne … at home, it had been 24 years since West Virginia earned an 8-0 victory over St. Joseph’s, 13 seasons before Dick Dlesk Stadium opened … the offensive explosion was headlined by Piatczyc and senior Jamie Merriam, who had a personal-best two goals and two 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 ... Merriam’s two goals both came in the first 7:27 of the game and just 1:57 seconds apart.
Coach Marlon LeBlanc: “Our guys came out and showed a lot of what we’ve been talking about all season in terms of what this team can be,” said coach LeBlanc, following Sunday’s record setting-win against San Francisco. “On Friday, we created a number of chances but didn’t take our chances all that well. The big difference on Sunday was that we took advantage of our chances and scored two goals in the first eight minutes. When you score early it changes the dynamic of the game. This is a good soccer team we have here and I think they showed that.”
This Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers head out for their second road trip of the young season, traveling to Indianapolis for the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational on Friday and Saturday ... West Virginia, who is 1-2 on the season, will play Eastern Michigan at 4 p.m. Friday before taking on Charlotte at 10 a.m. Saturday ... they will close the tournament with a match against host IUPUI at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Last Week in Volleyball: The Mountaineers opened the 2015 season on a high note, taking a 3-2 win over Oakland at the Michigan Invitational on Friday in Ann Arbor ... the five-set victory came on a 16-kill effort from Morgan Montgomery, a career-best for the sophomore outside hitter ... WVU went on to suffer a pair of setbacks, dropping a 3-0 match to George Washington on Saturday morning before falling to host Michigan, 3-0, in the tournament finale on Saturday evening ... Montgomery led the Mountaineers with 3.18 kills per set for a total of 35 while Caleah Wells averaged 2.64 kills per set to earn all-tournament team accolades ... newcomers Bridgett Talia, a freshman outside hitter, and Mia Swanegan, a sophomore transfer from TCU, made their way into the starting lineup in their debut weekend ... Talia finished the weekend with 20 kills and a pair of blocks, while Swanegan added 23 kills and seven blocks.
Notes and Quotes: This weekend opened the Reed Sunahara era, with the Mountaineers earning a 3-2 win in his debut … sophomore Morgan Montgomery totaled 35 kills on the weekend, just three shy of her 2014 season total of 38.
Coach Reed Sunahara: “It was a good win over an NCAA Tournament team,” said coach Reed Sunahara, who registered his first win as head coach of the Mountaineers. “It was a tough battle and I think we responded well. It showed some things we need to work on, but overall I was impressed with our perseverance.”
This Week in Golf: The men’s golf team officially returns from a 30-year hiatus this weekend, when they travel to Verona, New York, to participate in the Tiger Turning Stone Invitational at the Turning Stone Resort ... the tournament will be hosted by Missouri ... five members of the 10-person roster will compete in the event, with four scores counting towards the team total.
This Week in Cross Country: The Mountaineers open their 2015 season with the WVU Alumni Open on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m., at the Mon River Rail-Trail … this will be the first time since 2012 that WVU hosts the Alumni Open.
Last Season in Cross Country: At the 2014 NCAA Championship, the Mountaineers placed eighth overall, earning their fifth top-10 finish since 2007 … Kaitlyn Gillespie and Jillian Forsey earned All-America honors at the national championship, along with Kelly Williams earning the Elite 89 Award … WVU appeared in its ninth NCAA Championship, six of which have been during Sean Cleary’s head coaching tenure … at the 2014 Big 12 Championship, the Mountaineers placed second overall for the second straight season, and placed second at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Notes & Quotes: Thirteen letterwinners return to the team … WVU loses a three-time All-American in Kaitlyn Gillespie, but it returns with six runners who competed at last year’s national championship … the 2015 roster is led by three seniors – Kelly Williams, Savanna Plombon and Sydney Scott - and adds five newcomers: Anna French, Olivia Hill, Andrea Pettit, Candace Jones and Peyton Panger.
Coach Sean Cleary: “It has been a few years since we opened at home against alumni. I feel it’s important to bring past Mountaineers together with the current team.”
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