MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – On a rainy night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, the No. 22 West Virginia University men's soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss to Bowling Green in both teams' Mid-American Conference opener.
The Mountaineers (6-3-1, 0-1 MAC) recorded 12 shots, three on goal, but were shut out for just the second time this season. The Falcons (8-3-1, 1-0 MAC) had eight shots, six on goal, with Pat Flynn scoring in the 53rd minute.
Eight of WVU's 12 shots, and all three shots on goal, came in the second half. Similarly, BGSU recorded six second-half shots, with four of its five shots on goal coming in the final 45 minutes.
Junior goalkeeper
Jose Santos made five saves, while Bowling Green's Anthony Mwembia stopped all three shots he faced.
Offensively for the Mountaineers, senior forward
Felix Angerer and sophomore midfielder
Tucker Stephenson led the team with three shots. Stephenson had two shots on goal, with Angerer accounting for WVU's third shot on goal.
The first half did not feature a lot of great chances for either team. Sophomore forward
Rushawn Larmond got things started for WVU in the 17th minute on a pass inside the 18 to junior midfielder
Jad Arslan, but Arslan's shot went high.
BGSU's first shot on goal came in the 39th minute, where Santos dove to his left to make a save off a header.
In the 43rd minute, senior midfielder
Mike Desiderio received a crisp pass inside the box, but his shot was blocked to preserve a scoreless match heading into halftime.
Bowling Green had an early opportunity just one minute into the second half, on a header, but a leaping Santos deflected the ball over the crossbar.
At 52:13, the Falcons took a 1-0 lead. On a short pass into the box from the far side, Flynn rolled the ball into the right side of the net.
Seven minutes later, junior midfielder
Joey Piatczyc's shot was blocked. Moments later off a corner kick, junior defender
Louis Thomas sent a cross in to Angerer, who headed it on goal, but the save was made in the right corner of the net.
WVU continued its offensive attack when Angerer got a ball in from Thomas in the 64th minute, but his shot from inside the six went just wide. Ten minutes later, Stephenson sent a ball in off a free kick, but Mwembia made the save.
Two minutes later, in the 76th minute, Santos made a diving save to his right to keep it a 1-0 match.
In the 82nd minute, the Mountaineers again had a great opportunity, but Stephenson's shot was blocked and Angerer, off the rebound, sent a shot in that hit the crossbar.
Next up, WVU welcomes No. 1 Maryland to Morgantown on Monday, October 10, at 7 p.m. ET for a top-25 matchup at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The 'Monday Night Fútbol' contest is a Dollar Night, where tickets and select concession items – small soda, popcorn and Skittles – can be purchased for just $1 each.
WVU Soccer Scarf ticket packages are now on sale and includes the official 2016 WVU Soccer fan scarf and 10 tickets to be used at any men's or women's home matches during the regular season. Packages are just $30 and are available while supplies last. To order, visit
WVUGAME.com or call 1-800-WVU GAME. More information is available on
WVUSports.com.
Additionally, single-game tickets for all nine regular-season home matches are now on sale at
WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU-GAME.
