Backyard Brawl Returns to Morgantown Tuesday

Tuesday, October 23

Morgantown, W.Va.

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

Pitt

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Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

October 22, 2018 04:06 PM | Men's Soccer

Tickets Live Stream Live Stats Game Notes

By: Charlie Healy

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Backyard Brawl returns to the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium pitch as the West Virginia University men's soccer team hosts Pitt on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. ET.

Tuesday's matchup marks the 49th edition of the Backyard Brawl, as the renewed rivalry returns to Morgantown for the first time since 2010. WVU owns a 33-10-5 all-time record against Pitt and is undefeated in the last seven matches in the series at DDSS.

Tickets | Live Stream | Live Stats | Twitter

Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. Single match tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more when purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff of the match. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to avoid lines at the gate on game day. Tickets for WVU students are free with a valid student I.D.

The first 150 fans will receive a Backyard Brawl t-shirt, and it is the final Taco Tuesday of the season, with $2 walking tacos. The match is part of Mountaineer Week, and there will be a Maniacs giveaway for students. Additionally for students, a shuttle bus will run from the Mountainliar and Towers before and after the game.

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.

The match will be streamed live for free on WVUsports.com/Watch and the WVU Gameday App, while fans also can watch the stream live via Roku and Apple TV by searching for the "West Virginia Mountaineers" channel. Live stats will be available at WVUsports.com/Stats. Direct links to the video 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.

"Pitt is another excellent team on a schedule that's been challenging all year long," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "We are looking forward to Tuesday night's challenge of a top ACC opponent."

Winners of two in a row and eight of their last 10, the Mountaineers (10-5-0) are coming off a 5-1 victory over No. 20 SIU Edwardsville on Saturday to remain perfect in Mid-American Conference play. West Virginia is in first place in the MAC, collecting a 3-0-0 record and nine points, with two league matches remaining. WVU is 6-1-0 at home this season and unbeaten in 16 of its last 20 nonconference contests at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The Mountaineers are receiving votes in this week's TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings, while the remaining polls are released on Tuesday.

WVU leads the MAC in nearly every statistical category, and ranks No. 14 in the NCAA in assists (33), No. 16 in total points (89), No. 19 in save percentage (.815) and No. 25 in goals (28). WVU also paces the conference and is in the top-55 nationally in goals per game (1.87), saves per game (4.40) and goals-against average (0.998).

The Panthers (7-8-0) are in sixth place in the ACC Coastal Division, with a 2-5 record. Pitt ranks No. 43 in the country with 24 goals, while UP is sixth in the ACC with 19 assists and seventh with 67 points and 2.73 saves per game.

Junior midfielder Sebastian Garcia-Herreros ranks No. 18 in the NCAA and No. 2 in the MAC with seven total assists, while senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc's five are fifth-most in the conference. Piatczyc leads the league and is No. 30 nationally with three game-winning goals, and junior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino also is No. 30 in the country in shot accuracy (.571). Junior defender Pascal Derwaritsch and Piatczyc are both fifth in the conference in goals (5) and points (13), respectively. Additionally, Piatczyc's assist on WVU's first goal on Saturday night gives him 30 in his career, extending his school-record mark.

In goal, sophomore Steven Tekesky ranks No. 15 nationally with a MAC-best 64 total saves, while he also paces the league in save percentage (.810) and saves per game (4.27). He is second in the conference in shutouts (5), goals-against average (1.003) and minutes played (1345:36). Tekesky's eight career shutouts are No. 9 all-time in WVU program history.

SCOUTING PITT
Pitt is 7-8-0 on the season, 2-5-0 on the road and 2-5-0 in ACC action. The Panthers are coming off a 3-1 loss at No. 14 Duke on Friday, as they fell to 1-6-0 against ranked opponents. Against common foes, UP dropped a 1-0 contest at then-No. 4 Akron on Sept. 1.

Edward Kizza paces the squad with 13 goals and 26 points, and Javi Perez has four goals and three assists. Alexander Dexter leads UP with four assists. In goal, Johan Penaranda has allowed 18 goals with a 1.43 goals-against average, 27 saves and a .600 save percentage.

Jay Vidovich is in his third season at Pitt after 21 years at Wake Forest. A two-time NSCAA National Coach of the Year, he guided the Demon Deacons to an NCAA title in 2007 and five ACC crowns. Vidovich, who spent the 2015 season coaching the Portland Timbers 2 of the USL, is 289-152-53 in his collegiate career and 17-31-3 at Pitt.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE PANTHERS
The Mountaineers are 33-10-5 all-time against the Panthers in a series that began in 1962. WVU is 17-3-3 at home and 3-1-2 against Pitt in LeBlanc's 13 seasons. West Virginia is 6-1-4 since 2001, following a road loss last year. The rivalry was renewed last year in Pittsburgh, after a five-year hiatus.

UP NEXT: TITLE AT STAKE ON SENIOR NIGHT
The regular-season slate at home concludes with a Senior Night matchup vs. Bowling Green on Friday, Oct. 26. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. It is Friday Night Happy Hour, from 6-7 p.m., with half-off beverages, and the first 100 fans will receive a WVU men's soccer seat cushion. Prior to the contest, the Mountaineers will honor their seniors.

LAST TIME OUT: DOMINANT 2ND HALF
A dominating second half helped West Virginia maintain its place atop the Mid-American Conference with a 5-1 victory over No. 20 SIU Edwardsville on Oct. 20. In a matchup between the top two teams in the conference standings, the Mountaineers scored four second-half goals, as the Cougars saw their eight-match unbeaten streak come to an end.

The Mountaineers were out-shot 12-6 in the opening 45 minutes, and SIUE took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. However, Tekesky made seven saves to keep WVU in it, and Derwaritsch found the equalizer at 35:17.

West Virginia responded in the second half with eight shots, six on goal, and scored four goals. Defensively, the Mountaineers held the Cougars to three shots, two on goal as they erased a 1-0 deficit to win for the third time in the last four contests.

West Virginia took a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute on an own goal, and extended its advantage to 3-1 less than five minutes later, at 68:25, when Muriel Albino bent one into the upper corner of the far post from just inside the corner of the box. The Mountaineers added to their lead as sophomore defender Kevin Morris headed it in to make it a 4-1 match at 72:27. Nine minutes later, at 81:17, junior defender Albert Andres-Llop picked up his first goal of the year.

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