MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A win or tie away from clinching the Mid-American Conference regular-season championship, the West Virginia University men's soccer team hosts Bowling Green on Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. ET. The regular-season finale at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium also is Senior Night.
 
With a 3-0-0 MAC record and nine points, the Mountaineers need a victory or a tie to win their first conference title since 2006. The Falcons come to Morgantown in second place in the league, with a 1-0-2 record and five points.

Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. 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.
 
It is Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-off beverages from 6-7 p.m., and the first 100 fans will receive a WVU men's soccer seat cushion. Prior to the contest, the Mountaineers will honor their senior class.
 
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.
 
"Whenever you have the opportunity to play for a trophy, you have to make sure you make the most of it, but that's been the target all year long," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "It started back in January with what the goal was for the MAC, and at the end of the day, we're not going to make it bigger than the game itself. We still have to take care of the game. The trophy will take care of itself if we take care of the game.
 
"Every game down the stretch seems to get tougher and tougher, but its part and parcel for getting to play this late in the season with purpose. (Bowling Green is) a good team, they have caught fire a bit here these last six games, unbeaten in their last six. They're scoring goals and shutting teams down. It's a typical Bowling Green team. They're going to be competitive and fight tooth and nail, every game is a close one, and they're a well-coached side that knows how to grind out results. That's kind of the calling card of a good program, and I think we're going to have our hands full."
 
The Mountaineers (11-5-0, 3-0-0 MAC) have won three in a row and nine of their last 11 matches. WVU is coming off a 2-1 win in the Backyard Brawl against Pitt on Tuesday, to improve to 7-1-0 at home this season. West Virginia is receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings.
 
WVU paces the MAC in nearly every statistical category, and ranks No. 11 in the NCAA in assists (35), No. 15 in total points (95), No. 22 in save percentage (.805) and No. 23 in goals (30). WVU also paces the conference in scoring offense (1.88), goals-against average (0.998) and saves per game (4.13).
 
The Falcons (5-5-4, 1-0-2 MAC) are undefeated in their last six matches and have held opponents to five goals in that span.  BGSU is second in the league in saves per game (3.57) and shots per game (13.14), and third in assists per game (1.64) and save percentage (.714).
 
Senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc's four game-winning goals rank No. 17 nationally, while junior midfielder Sebastian Garcia-Herreros is No. 19 in the NCAA with seven total assists. Piatczyc's 1.23 points per game is third in the conference, along with junior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino's shot accuracy of .541.
 
This week's MAC Player of the Week, sophomore goalkeeper Steven Tekesky ranks No. 21 nationally with a MAC-best 64 total saves, while he also paces the league in save percentage (.800) and saves per game (4.00). He is second in the conference in shutouts (5), goals-against average (1.003) and minutes played (1435:36). Tekesky's 11 wins are sixth-most in a single season in program history. In his career, Tekesky's 0.99 goals-against average ranks No. 4 all-time in program history, while his save percentage of .766 currently is No. 7 in the WVU record books. His 14 wins and eight shutouts are ninth-most in a career.
 
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green is 5-5-4 on the season and 4-3-1 away from home. The Falcons are 1-0-2 in MAC play, with all three matches going into overtime. A scoreless draw to Akron was followed by a 2-1 win at Northern Illinois and a 1-1 contest against Western Michigan. BGSU is coming off a 2-0 win at Cincinnati on Tuesday.
 
Tate Robertson leads the team with nine goals and 17 points, while Ebenezer Ackon is second with three goals. Peter Pugliese paces the squad with five assists. In goal, Anthony Mwembia has played every minute. He has allowed 20 goals for a 1.33 goals-against average and has made 47 saves with a .701 save percentage.
 
Eric Nichols is in his 10th season at BGSU. The 2016 MAC Coach of the Year, Nichols owns a 69-75-25 record with the Falcons. The 2016 season saw Bowling Green finish second in the MAC, its best finish since 2002, with a 2-0-3 record.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE FALCONS
The Mountaineers are 3-6-2 all-time against Bowling Green and 1-1-1 at home. The two teams played to a scoreless, double-overtime draw last year, as Tekesky made three saves. In Morgantown, WVU and BGSU tied, 3-3, in 2013. West Virginia then earned a 2-1 victory in 2014, and the Falcons won in 2016, 1-0.
 
UP NEXT: REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
West Virginia concludes the regular season at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 3. Kickoff in DeKalb is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
 
LAST TIME OUT: BACKYARD BRAWL WIN
West Virginia improved to 34-10-5 all-time against Pitt, and remains undefeated in the series at home since 1997, with a 2-1 win in the Backyard Brawl on Oct. 23.
 
WVU's goals came from freshman midfielder Josh DiMatteo, in the 16th minute, and Piatczyc, in the 49th. Piatczyc and sophomore forward Tsubasa Takada earned assists on the first goal. Piatczyc's goal was off a free kick to give WVU a 2-0 lead.
 
Pitt cut into WVU's lead with a goal at 49:11, but it proved to be the Panthers' lone shot on goal in the contest.
 
WVU out-shot Pitt, 15-4, and held a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal. UP had 23 fouls to WVU's 11, and the Panthers had a 4-3 edge in corner kicks. Piatczyc led the team with five shots, while DiMatteo had two shots, both on goal.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.