Saturday, October 7
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
MAC Play Begins Saturday vs. NIU
October 06, 2017 12:36 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mid-American Conference play commences for the West Virginia University men's soccer team on Saturday, Oct. 7, against Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. ET at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com and at the DDSS ticket office. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth under 13 and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Saturday is Military and First Responder Night as well as Kids Club Day. All military and first responders will be admitted free with a valid I.D. As part of Kids Club Day, there will be a Mountaineer Kids Club giveaway, inflatables, balloon animals, face painting and soccer drill stations. Additionally, there will be a Touch-A-Truck event, with various first responsible vehicles on site.
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.
"The conference animal is a totally different beast," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "Though we're going to approach it in the same fashion in terms of wanting to win every game, we approach it also in the fashion that we know there are only 15 total points out there, and every game is very important."
The Mountaineers (6-3-2) begin conference play after five days off following a 2-0 loss to No. 20 Pacific on Sunday afternoon. The MAC schedule sees WVU host three of its five league games at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. West Virginia has just two mid-week contests on the schedule in the remaining five weeks, Wednesday, Oct. 11 vs. No. 5 Michigan State and Tuesday, Oct. 24, vs. Penn.
Several Mountaineers are among the national and conference leaders in several statistical categories. Senior Jad Arslan's three game-winning goals is ninth-most nationally and No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference. He and sophomore Albert Andres-Llop are second in the MAC with four goals, while Andres-Llop is fourth with 10 total points. Junior Jorge Quintanilla ranks No. 3 in the MAC with four assists, while he is fourth in the conference with 0.36 assists per game.
In goal, junior Stephen Banick is third in the league and 17th nationally with five shutouts. He is second in the MAC with 28 saves and 924:32 minutes played. His .718 save percentage ranks fourth.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois owns a 3-7 record and an 0-2 mark in road contests. The Huskies have lost four in a row following a 1-0 win over No. 10 Nebraska Omaha on Sept. 15. NIU is coming off a 3-2 defeat to Valparaiso on Tuesday.
Ryan Swan is in his first season at NIU after spending the past eight seasons at Drury University. He recorded a 106-47-8 record as head coach of the Panthers, leading the team to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
Jan Maertins leads the Huskies with four goals and nine points, while Noah Brodie has a team-best three assists and has added two goals. In goal, Drew Donnally leads the team with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .750 save percentage while playing 377:50 minutes in four games. He owns a 2-2-0 record.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HUSKIES
The Mountaineers are 2-3-1 all-time against Northern Illinois, but are 2-0 at home. After road and neutral-site losses in 2012, WVU earned a 4-0 win at home in 2013. A 1-1 tie followed in 2014 before West Virginia earned a 3-2 win in 2015. Last year, the Huskies won the season's final game in double overtime, 2-1. Current sophomore Logan Lucas earned an assist on WVU's goal.
UP NEXT: NO. 5 MICHIGAN STATE
West Virginia welcomes No. 5 Michigan State to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. ET. The midweek showdown is Dollar Night, where tickets and select concession items will be available for $1. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, 1-800-WVU GAME or on game day at the DDSS ticket office. It also is 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.
LAST TIME OUT: RANKED DEFEAT
Playing its first ranked team of the season, West Virginia University lost to No. 20 Pacific, 2-0 on Oct. 1. The Mountaineers held the 20th-ranked Tigers to four shots, two on goal. WVU recorded 12 shots, four on goal.
Junior Rushawn Larmond came off the bench and led West Virginia with three shots, two coming on goal, while junior Logan Lucas had two shots. Tariq Branche scored both goals for Pacific, in the 12th and 70th minutes. Tiger keeper Curtis Goldsmith countered with four saves.
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.
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com and at the DDSS ticket office. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youth under 13 and senior citizens and $2 for groups of 10 or more. WVU students are admitted free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
Saturday is Military and First Responder Night as well as Kids Club Day. All military and first responders will be admitted free with a valid I.D. As part of Kids Club Day, there will be a Mountaineer Kids Club giveaway, inflatables, balloon animals, face painting and soccer drill stations. Additionally, there will be a Touch-A-Truck event, with various first responsible vehicles on site.
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.
"The conference animal is a totally different beast," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "Though we're going to approach it in the same fashion in terms of wanting to win every game, we approach it also in the fashion that we know there are only 15 total points out there, and every game is very important."
The Mountaineers (6-3-2) begin conference play after five days off following a 2-0 loss to No. 20 Pacific on Sunday afternoon. The MAC schedule sees WVU host three of its five league games at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. West Virginia has just two mid-week contests on the schedule in the remaining five weeks, Wednesday, Oct. 11 vs. No. 5 Michigan State and Tuesday, Oct. 24, vs. Penn.
Several Mountaineers are among the national and conference leaders in several statistical categories. Senior Jad Arslan's three game-winning goals is ninth-most nationally and No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference. He and sophomore Albert Andres-Llop are second in the MAC with four goals, while Andres-Llop is fourth with 10 total points. Junior Jorge Quintanilla ranks No. 3 in the MAC with four assists, while he is fourth in the conference with 0.36 assists per game.
In goal, junior Stephen Banick is third in the league and 17th nationally with five shutouts. He is second in the MAC with 28 saves and 924:32 minutes played. His .718 save percentage ranks fourth.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois owns a 3-7 record and an 0-2 mark in road contests. The Huskies have lost four in a row following a 1-0 win over No. 10 Nebraska Omaha on Sept. 15. NIU is coming off a 3-2 defeat to Valparaiso on Tuesday.
Ryan Swan is in his first season at NIU after spending the past eight seasons at Drury University. He recorded a 106-47-8 record as head coach of the Panthers, leading the team to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
Jan Maertins leads the Huskies with four goals and nine points, while Noah Brodie has a team-best three assists and has added two goals. In goal, Drew Donnally leads the team with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .750 save percentage while playing 377:50 minutes in four games. He owns a 2-2-0 record.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HUSKIES
The Mountaineers are 2-3-1 all-time against Northern Illinois, but are 2-0 at home. After road and neutral-site losses in 2012, WVU earned a 4-0 win at home in 2013. A 1-1 tie followed in 2014 before West Virginia earned a 3-2 win in 2015. Last year, the Huskies won the season's final game in double overtime, 2-1. Current sophomore Logan Lucas earned an assist on WVU's goal.
UP NEXT: NO. 5 MICHIGAN STATE
West Virginia welcomes No. 5 Michigan State to Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m. ET. The midweek showdown is Dollar Night, where tickets and select concession items will be available for $1. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com, 1-800-WVU GAME or on game day at the DDSS ticket office. It also is 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.
LAST TIME OUT: RANKED DEFEAT
Playing its first ranked team of the season, West Virginia University lost to No. 20 Pacific, 2-0 on Oct. 1. The Mountaineers held the 20th-ranked Tigers to four shots, two on goal. WVU recorded 12 shots, four on goal.
Junior Rushawn Larmond came off the bench and led West Virginia with three shots, two coming on goal, while junior Logan Lucas had two shots. Tariq Branche scored both goals for Pacific, in the 12th and 70th minutes. Tiger keeper Curtis Goldsmith countered with four saves.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
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