Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Enters Top-25, Piatczyc Named Player of the Week
October 30, 2018 01:48 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – As the West Virginia University men's soccer team enters the national rankings for the first time this year, senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time this season.
The Mountaineers, who won their first MAC regular-season championship on Friday night, check in at No. 16 in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 20 in the Soccer America top 25, No. 23 in College Soccer News rankings and No. 24 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll. WVU is ranked for the first time this year, and has now been ranked in 12 of coach Marlon LeBlanc's 13 seasons. Additionally, West Virginia boasts the No. 16 RPI in the country.
Piatczyc's MAC Player of the Week accolade is the fifth for the Mountaineers this season, the most by any squad in the conference and the most since it joined the conference in 2012.
A Lee's Summit, Missouri, native, Piatczyc scored two game-winning goals and added an assist last week in a pair of big matches, leading West Virginia to a 2-1 win over rival Pitt on Oct. 23, and a 3-2 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 26 to clinch the MAC regular-season title.
Against Pitt, Piatczyc assisted on WVU's first goal and scored the game-winner in the 49th minute. Three days later, he broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 88th minute to propel the Mountaineers to their first-ever MAC title.
On the season, Piatczyc's five game-winning goals ties a school record, leads the MAC and ranks No. 8 nationally, while his 20 career game-winning points are sixth-most in WVU history. He paces the team with six goals and 18 points and is second with six assists.
In addition to his MAC award, Piatczyc was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week, while he also was recognized on the TDS Team of the Week and the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
Along with Piatczyc, who also was recognized by the MAC on Aug. 28, Sept. 4 and Oct. 16, sophomore goalkeeper Steven Tekesky was honored by the league last week.
Piatczyc and the Mountaineers conclude the regular season at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, in DeKalb, Illinois. West Virginia will then host the MAC Championship, with semifinals set for Friday, Nov. 9, and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 11, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Additional details, including match times and ticket information, will be announced shortly.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Mountaineers, who won their first MAC regular-season championship on Friday night, check in at No. 16 in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 20 in the Soccer America top 25, No. 23 in College Soccer News rankings and No. 24 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com poll. WVU is ranked for the first time this year, and has now been ranked in 12 of coach Marlon LeBlanc's 13 seasons. Additionally, West Virginia boasts the No. 16 RPI in the country.
Piatczyc's MAC Player of the Week accolade is the fifth for the Mountaineers this season, the most by any squad in the conference and the most since it joined the conference in 2012.
A Lee's Summit, Missouri, native, Piatczyc scored two game-winning goals and added an assist last week in a pair of big matches, leading West Virginia to a 2-1 win over rival Pitt on Oct. 23, and a 3-2 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 26 to clinch the MAC regular-season title.
Against Pitt, Piatczyc assisted on WVU's first goal and scored the game-winner in the 49th minute. Three days later, he broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 88th minute to propel the Mountaineers to their first-ever MAC title.
On the season, Piatczyc's five game-winning goals ties a school record, leads the MAC and ranks No. 8 nationally, while his 20 career game-winning points are sixth-most in WVU history. He paces the team with six goals and 18 points and is second with six assists.
In addition to his MAC award, Piatczyc was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week, while he also was recognized on the TDS Team of the Week and the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
Along with Piatczyc, who also was recognized by the MAC on Aug. 28, Sept. 4 and Oct. 16, sophomore goalkeeper Steven Tekesky was honored by the league last week.
Piatczyc and the Mountaineers conclude the regular season at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, in DeKalb, Illinois. West Virginia will then host the MAC Championship, with semifinals set for Friday, Nov. 9, and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 11, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Additional details, including match times and ticket information, will be announced shortly.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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