MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team takes to the road for a pair of matches against Big Ten competition. The Mountaineers face Michigan on Friday, September 4 at 4 p.m. in Ann Arbor, before traveling to play No. 22 Michigan State on Monday at 2 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich.
Fans can follow along with live stats from both matches.
MGoBlue.com will have live stats from Friday’s contest at the U-M Soccer Stadium, while
MSUSpartans.com will have live stats on Monday from the DeMartin Soccer Complex. Additionally, behind-the-scenes updates, news and notes from WVU’s five-day roadtrip will be available on social media by following @WVUMensSoccer on
Twitter,
Facebook and
Instagram.
“We’re going to get well-coached, disciplined, physical, just as athletic teams,” coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “Especially on the road, you’re going to get some rabid fan bases. We’re going to have our work cut out for us. It’s a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves and carry the flag for the MAC a little bit. We have the opportunity for some big RPI games here on the road.”
The Mountaineers will look to even the all-time series vs. the Wolverines, who posted a 2-1 overtime victory in 2013. The Labor Day matchup with the Spartans will be the first between WVU and MSU.
WVU enters the weekend with a 1-1-0 record and is coming off a 6-0 victory over San Francisco on Sunday. The Mountaineers posted their highest scoring game since 1998, as sophomore Joey Piatczyc had a program record four assists. Jamie Merriam led the offense with two goals, both within the first 7:27 of the game and just 1:57 apart.
Michigan is 0-1-0 after a 1-0 loss at No. 6 Creighton on August 28. Michigan State enters the weekend at 1-1-0 following a 1-0 win at Portland and a 1-0 loss at Oregon State. The Spartans open the weekend vs. Niagara on Friday before taking on WVU on Monday.
SERIES VS. THE WOLVERINES
Friday will be the second meeting between WVU and U-M. The Mountaineers are 0-1-0 all-time against the Wolverines, with the lone previous meeting a 2-1 overtime loss in 2013.
West Virginia suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Michigan in 2013 on a golden goal by Colin McAtee. WVU got off to a slow start and fell behind 1-0, but tied the contest with only 17 seconds remaining in regulation thanks to a Majed Osman score.
SERIES VS. THE SPARTANS
Monday marks the first meeting between West Virginia and Michigan State. The Mountaineers are 23-43-10 all-time against current Big Ten Conference members after a 2-1 win over Penn State last season.
UP NEXT: VS. JAMES MADISON
West Virginia returns home to face James Madison on Friday, September 11, at 7 p.m. at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. WVU will look to seek revenge after a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Dukes last season.
LAST TIME OUT: RECORDS BROKEN
WVU opened the season with a 1-0 loss to Navy before a 6-0 victory over San Francisco on Sunday. In the victory, sophomore midfielder Joey Piatczyc had a WVU-record four assists to help the Mountaineers 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. Merriam’s two goals both came in the first 7:27 of the game and just 1:57 seconds apart.
PIATCZYC THE RECORD BREAKER
In WVU’s 6-0 win over San Francisco on Aug. 30, sophomore Joey 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, and voting is currently underway for that weekly honor.
MERRIAM A SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior Jamie Merriam has been named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. He is one of 30 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.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
An All-MAC First Team honoree last season, Merriam has been a key component of WVU’s success. Last season, he was second on the team in goals (9), points (23) and shots (49) and third in assists (5). He has been a leader on and off the field, and has impacted those who he connects with in the community. A Biometric Systems major, Merriam begins his senior season with a 3.16 GPA and was named to the NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Second Team, the Academic All-MAC Team and the Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team as a junior in 2014.
