WVU Hosts No. 5 Michigan State Wednesday Night - West Virginia University Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team welcomes No. 5 Michigan State to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. ET.

The midweek showdown is a Dollar Night, where tickets and select concession items are just $1. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com and at the DDSS ticket office. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.

Wednesday is also Club Sports Night, where club sports teams with the highest attendance at the match will receive a prize and points for their club. The first 100 Mountaineer Maniacs will also receive a free scarf, and there will be a Maniacs tailgate and free pizza for WVU students.

To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.

Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream at WVUsports.com/Watch and follow live stats at WVUsports.com/Stats. Links to the live stream and live stats can be found on the men's soccer schedule page on WVUSports.com. Additional updates, news and notes will be available on social media by following and connecting with @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

"Michigan State is an outstanding team, they're No. 1 in the RPI as well, so you want to talk about big games, this is about as big as it gets," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "They're going to be a tough nut to crack, but we've been able to do it in the past, so it's going to take a great effort from our guys, it's going to take a fantastic crowd. I'm pretty confident we're capable of beating a very good Michigan State team."

The Mountaineers (6-3-3) welcome their second Top-25 opponent to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium this season and fourth Top-10 foe in as many years. On Oct. 1, WVU suffered a 2-0 loss to No. 20 Pacific, while No. 1 Maryland came to Morgantown last season. Since 2006, West Virginia is 11-11 against Top-25 teams, highlighted by wins over No. 1 UConn in 2007 and 2011 and No. 3 USF in 2009.

The Spartans (9-1-2) are ranked in the Top 10 in all four major polls. MSU is ranked as high as No. 5 by College Soccer News, while TopDrawerSoccer.com has pegged Michigan State as No. 10 in the country. The Spartans are ranked No. 12 by Soccer America. The United Soccer Coaches Poll will be released later this afternoon.

Several Mountaineers rank among the national and conference statistical leaders. Senior Jad Arslan's three game-winning goals is No. 12 nationally and tops in the Mid-American Conference. He and sophomore Albert Andres-Llop are second in the MAC with four goals, while junior Jorge Quintanilla and sophomore Sebastian Garcia-Herreros rank No. 4 in the MAC with four assists. In goal, junior Stephen Banick is third in the league and No. 22 nationally with five shutouts. He is third in the MAC with 28 saves and his .718 save percentage ranks fourth.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Fifth-ranked Michigan State comes to Morgantown with a 9-1-2 record and a 5-1-1 mark away from home. MSU played six straight games against ranked teams, going 4-1-1 during the stretch before a 1-1 draw at Wisconsin on Saturday. Against common opponents, the Spartans are 3-1, with wins over MAC foes SIUE, Bowling Green and Western Michigan and a loss at Akron.

Damon Rensing is in his ninth season at the helm of the Spartans. He is 99-59-24 and has guided Michigan State to six NCAA Tournaments, including 2016. Rensing and MSU also won the Big Ten Tournament title in 2012.

DeJuan Jones leads the team with six goals and 14 points, while Connor Corrigan's six assists is a team best. In goal, Jimmy Hague has played all 1,130 minutes and has allowed just seven goals for a 0.56 goals-against average He has made 35 saves for a .833 save percentage and has eight shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE SPARTANS
West Virginia and Michigan State have met once before, in 2015, a 1-0 overtime win in East Lansing, Michigan, for MSU. A penalty kick in the 96th minute was the game-winner for the No. 22-ranked Spartans after a combined 11 saves were made by both teams. WVU had five shots on goal and MSU had seven.

UP NEXT: AT BOWLING GREEN
Mid-American Conference play continues this weekend when WVU travels to Bowling Green on Saturday, Oct. 14. Kickoff at Cochrane Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, is set for 7 p.m. ET.

LAST TIME OUT: MAC-OPENING DRAW
West Virginia opened Mid-American Conference play with a 1-1 double-overtime draw against Northern Illinois on Oct. 7. Junior Rushawn Larmond scored in the 38th minute, answering NIU's tally 11 minutes earlier.

Larmond's goal, his first of the season, came at 37:21. It began with sophomore Sebastian Garcia-Herreros and senior Louis Thomas. Garcia-Herreros crossed the ball in to Larmond, who converted from six yards out to tie the match at 1-1.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead at 26:36 on a play off a corner kick that bounced off a WVU defender and in.

The Mountaineers recorded 18 shots, with three coming on goal, while the Huskies had six shots, two on goal. Senior Jad Arslan led the team with six shots, one on goal, while Larmond had two shots, both on goal. Freshman Steven Tekesky, making his first career start, made one save.

Single game tickets for all of WVU's regular-season home matches are now on sale at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800-WVU GAME. The complete 2017 WVU men's soccer schedule, with match times, can be found here. All dates and times are subject to change, and fans are encouraged to stay tuned to WVUSports.com for updates.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Albert Andres-Llop

Jad Arslan

Stephen Banick

Sebastian Garcia-Herreros

Rushawn Larmond

Jorge Quintanilla

Steven Tekesky

Louis Thomas

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