NRM_6394XX-Crop.jpg
WVU Falls in OT Heartbreaker at No. 22 MSU
September 07, 2015 06:10 PM | Men's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss on a penalty kick in overtime at No. 22 Michigan State on Monday afternoon.
On a hot, sun-filled day in front of 1,200 fans at MSU’s DeMartin Stadium, the Mountaineers (1-3) played right alongside the 22nd-ranked Spartans for 96 minutes. It was WVU’s first top-25 opponent of the season and capped a two match roadtrip against Big Ten foes.
“That was a good college soccer game, both teams competed so well, especially considering the heat of the day,” WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “It’s a disappointing ending, but at the end of the day, Michigan State is a good team. We had a couple of chances off the post that we were unable to capitalize on, and they get one on the PK at the end. Hats off, Damon Rensing is a good coach and he has a good team. We certainly think that we have the same, we’ll bounce back from this. Our guys were very, very good on the day.”
The winning goal came in the 96th minute by Zach Carroll. The penalty kick came as a result of a foul called on WVU in the box.
Both the Mountaineers and Spartans had several scoring chances throughout regulation. WVU had 12 shots, five on goal, while MSU had 13 shots, seven on goal.
Junior goaltender Daniel Diaz posted a season-best six saves, with four coming in the second half. MSU’s Zach Bennett recorded five saves.
West Virginia’s best scoring opportunity came in the 64th minute when sophomore Joey Piatczyc and senior Jamie Merriam each hit the post on consecutive shots.
At 63:35, Piatczyc found the right post on a strike from just inside the box. Merriam quickly picked up the rebound and fired it on net, but the ball hit the crossbar. It then deflected down to hit the right post before the ball found the goal line but wouldn’t cross it. On back-to-back shots, the ball just missed the back of the net, six seconds apart.
Beginning in the 70th minute, the Spartans gained momentum for nearly six minutes. The West Virginia defense prevented Michigan State from putting anything together. The MSU offensive stretch included five corner kicks in a two minute span, but WVU continued to clear the ball and stop MSU from setting its offense.
In overtime, sophomore defenseman Louis Thomas had a shot on goal that was easily saved by Bennett.
Felix Angerer, Mike Desiderio, Merriam and Tucker Stephenson also had shots on goal in the match.
As part of a strong opening push by WVU, Merriam recorded a shot on goal in the eighth minute on a shot from the right side near the end line.
Desiderio’s shot on goal came one minute later off a Piatczyc corner kick. Ryan Cain’s header was blocked, and Desiderio quickly found the ball with his head and put it on net, but it was scooped up by Bennett.
In the 17th minute, Angerer fired a shot on net from the left side, only to be saved by Bennett.
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.
MSOC: NCAA vs. St. John's Cinematic Recap
Sunday, November 23
MSOC: Sun Belt Quarterfinals vs. Old Dominion Cinematic Recap
Tuesday, November 11
MSOC: South Carolina Cinematic Recap
Thursday, November 06
The Mountain State Derby Cinematic Recap
Sunday, November 02
