Saturday, November 4
Edwardsville, Ill.
8:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
SIUE
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Regular Season Concludes at SIUE
November 03, 2017 11:36 AM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The 2017 regular season comes to a close on Saturday, Nov. 4, as the West Virginia University men's soccer team travels to Edwardsville, Illinois, to face SIUE in an 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT contest at Ralph Korte Stadium.
WVU faces SIUE for the first time, after the Cougars joined the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member this season.
Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream at SIUECougars.com and follow live stats at SIUE.Statbroadcast.com. 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.
"SIUE is a very good team, well-coached as well," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "They had a great run in the NCAA Tournament last year, but with SIUE, and any other game, you're going in to win, so we'll be prepared for it.
"We've had a strong season to date, a couple blips along the way, but we haven't lost to a bad team yet this season. We've beaten some good teams, but we'll go on the road, where we've found great success so far this season. We've beaten some good teams, and hopefully we'll be able to do the same out in Illinois this weekend."
The Mountaineers (8-5-4, 0-2-2 MAC), who sit in fifth place in the conference, need a victory and a Bowling Green loss at No. 5 Western Michigan to secure a fourth-place finish and a spot in next weekend's conference tournament. WVU has had success on the road in 2017, owning a 4-2-1 record.
The Cougars (7-8-1, 2-2) join the MAC from the Missouri Valley Conference, where they won a tournament title last year and the regular-season crown in 2015. National champions in 1979, SIUE returned to Division I status in 2008 and has made the NCAA Tournament 15 times as a D-1 program, most recently reaching the Sweet 16 last year.
The final weekend of MAC play sees top-seeded Western Michigan host Bowling Green and second-seeded Akron host Northern Illinois. WMU has secured the No. 1 seed with 12 points, while Akron (nine points) and SIUE (six points) have locked up the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. Bowling Green enters the weekend with four points, just ahead of WVU's two. NIU is in sixth place with one point.
In the national statistical rankings, senior Jad Arslan's three game-winning goals ranks second in the MAC. Junior Jorge Quintanilla is fourth in the conference in both total assists (5) and assists per game (0.31).
As a team, West Virginia's nine shutouts and .529 shutout percentage rank 12th nationally and second in the conference. WVU's nine shutouts are tied for fifth-most in a single season in program history.
SCOUTING SIUE
SIUE is 7-8-1 on the season and 2-2-0 in MAC play. The Cougars are 5-3-1 at home and 0-3-0 vs. top-25 foes. Last week, SIUE suffered a 1-0 loss at No. 6 Western Michigan. The Cougars enter Saturday's match with a 4-2-1 record in their last seven matches after starting the season with a 3-6 mark.
Mario Sanchez is in his third season at SIUE after leading the Cougars to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and Missouri Valley Tournament title in 2016. He is 29-17-10 at SIUE and 53-58-20 in his career.
Jorge Gonzalez leads the squad with five goals, 12 points and 40 shots, and has added two assists, tied for third-most on the team. Erik Tejada has a team-best five assists. In goal, Kyle Dal Santo has played all 1,490 minutes, making 47 saves for a .758 save percentage with a 0.91 goals-against average and seven shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE COUGARS
West Virginia and SIUE will meet for the first time on Saturday.
UP NEXT: POSTSEASON PLAY
With a victory at SIUE and a loss by Bowling Green at No. 5 Western Michigan, the Mountaineers will qualify for the MAC Tournament and earn the No. 4 seed. The MAC semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 10, and WMU has earned the No. 1 seed and will host the four-team tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: TOP-10 LOSS
Playing its fourth top-25 opponent in its last six home games, No. 25 West Virginia lost to No. 9 Akron, 4-0, on Oct. 27. On Senior Night, the Mountaineers held the ninth-ranked Zips to just two shots in the first 36 minutes before Akron scored in the 37th minute. WVU did not allow another shot until the second half, when UA added three goals.
WVU had four shots, one on goal, while Akron had nine shots, five on goal. Freshman keeper Steven Tekesky and UA's Ben Lundt both made one save. Sophomore Jorge Quintanilla registered West Virginia's only shot on goal in the contest. For the Zips, Stuart Holthusen scored the team's first three goals.
Prior to the game, the Mountaineers honored its senior class of Jad Arslan, Heath Honold, Steven James, Joey Piatczyc, Joseph Reece, Jose Santos and Louis Thomas.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
WVU faces SIUE for the first time, after the Cougars joined the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member this season.
Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream at SIUECougars.com and follow live stats at SIUE.Statbroadcast.com. 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.
"SIUE is a very good team, well-coached as well," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "They had a great run in the NCAA Tournament last year, but with SIUE, and any other game, you're going in to win, so we'll be prepared for it.
"We've had a strong season to date, a couple blips along the way, but we haven't lost to a bad team yet this season. We've beaten some good teams, but we'll go on the road, where we've found great success so far this season. We've beaten some good teams, and hopefully we'll be able to do the same out in Illinois this weekend."
The Mountaineers (8-5-4, 0-2-2 MAC), who sit in fifth place in the conference, need a victory and a Bowling Green loss at No. 5 Western Michigan to secure a fourth-place finish and a spot in next weekend's conference tournament. WVU has had success on the road in 2017, owning a 4-2-1 record.
The Cougars (7-8-1, 2-2) join the MAC from the Missouri Valley Conference, where they won a tournament title last year and the regular-season crown in 2015. National champions in 1979, SIUE returned to Division I status in 2008 and has made the NCAA Tournament 15 times as a D-1 program, most recently reaching the Sweet 16 last year.
The final weekend of MAC play sees top-seeded Western Michigan host Bowling Green and second-seeded Akron host Northern Illinois. WMU has secured the No. 1 seed with 12 points, while Akron (nine points) and SIUE (six points) have locked up the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. Bowling Green enters the weekend with four points, just ahead of WVU's two. NIU is in sixth place with one point.
In the national statistical rankings, senior Jad Arslan's three game-winning goals ranks second in the MAC. Junior Jorge Quintanilla is fourth in the conference in both total assists (5) and assists per game (0.31).
As a team, West Virginia's nine shutouts and .529 shutout percentage rank 12th nationally and second in the conference. WVU's nine shutouts are tied for fifth-most in a single season in program history.
SCOUTING SIUE
SIUE is 7-8-1 on the season and 2-2-0 in MAC play. The Cougars are 5-3-1 at home and 0-3-0 vs. top-25 foes. Last week, SIUE suffered a 1-0 loss at No. 6 Western Michigan. The Cougars enter Saturday's match with a 4-2-1 record in their last seven matches after starting the season with a 3-6 mark.
Mario Sanchez is in his third season at SIUE after leading the Cougars to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and Missouri Valley Tournament title in 2016. He is 29-17-10 at SIUE and 53-58-20 in his career.
Jorge Gonzalez leads the squad with five goals, 12 points and 40 shots, and has added two assists, tied for third-most on the team. Erik Tejada has a team-best five assists. In goal, Kyle Dal Santo has played all 1,490 minutes, making 47 saves for a .758 save percentage with a 0.91 goals-against average and seven shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE COUGARS
West Virginia and SIUE will meet for the first time on Saturday.
UP NEXT: POSTSEASON PLAY
With a victory at SIUE and a loss by Bowling Green at No. 5 Western Michigan, the Mountaineers will qualify for the MAC Tournament and earn the No. 4 seed. The MAC semifinals are set for Friday, Nov. 10, and WMU has earned the No. 1 seed and will host the four-team tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: TOP-10 LOSS
Playing its fourth top-25 opponent in its last six home games, No. 25 West Virginia lost to No. 9 Akron, 4-0, on Oct. 27. On Senior Night, the Mountaineers held the ninth-ranked Zips to just two shots in the first 36 minutes before Akron scored in the 37th minute. WVU did not allow another shot until the second half, when UA added three goals.
WVU had four shots, one on goal, while Akron had nine shots, five on goal. Freshman keeper Steven Tekesky and UA's Ben Lundt both made one save. Sophomore Jorge Quintanilla registered West Virginia's only shot on goal in the contest. For the Zips, Stuart Holthusen scored the team's first three goals.
Prior to the game, the Mountaineers honored its senior class of Jad Arslan, Heath Honold, Steven James, Joey Piatczyc, Joseph Reece, Jose Santos and Louis Thomas.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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