Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 31, 2018) – Senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc had three assists to break the school record for career assists to lead the West Virginia University men's soccer team to a 5-1 victory over American on Friday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
Piatczyc assisted on the first goal for the Mountaineers (2-1) to tie the record for career assists in the 20th minute, and broke the record with an assist on WVU's third goal in the 48th minute. He added an assist on West Virginia's fourth goal, in the 72nd minute.
 
Piatczyc's 29 career assists breaks the record of 27, set by Dan Stratford from 2004-07. Piatczyc also owns the school record for assists per game, with 0.53, and shares the school record with four multi-assist matches, while he ranks No. 2 all-time with 11 game-winning assists.
 
After missing the 2017 season due to an injury, Piatczyc has four assists and a goal in the Mountaineers' first three games of the 2018 season.
 
"He's putting the country on notice right now," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "The kid was away for a year, and he's been forgotten about. We can be sure that he's not forgotten about anymore. He's the best player in the country, in my opinion. This season will hopefully prove to be that when he leads us into some more wins over the next few games and through the rest of the year. I think the kid's big time. He's a piece of class out there. He has that soccer sense and the ability to manipulate the defense, and at the same stage, put guys in certain positions. That's what he did this evening."
 
Along with his career records, Piatczyc's 13 assists in 2015 as a sophomore set a new program record and was No. 2 in the country, while he broke the team record with four assists in a single match on Aug. 30, vs. San Francisco.
 
"It's an honor," Piatczyc said. "It's an even bigger honor because I know the guy beforehand (Dan Stratford), and he was an incredible player, and he can still play. So, it's incredible, and I couldn't be more thankful for all the forwards who have done it for me. All the way from Andy Bevin to Ryan Cain, to Jamie Merriam, to Jad (Arslan) and now to Rushawn (Larmond), who did it for me on the last one. Those are the guys who have done it for me."
 
In its home opener, WVU's offense was not limited to just Piatczyc. Junior defender Pascal Derwaritsch and junior midfielder Ethan Shim both scored a career-high two goals. Shim notched the first goal of the night in the 20th minute, and Derwaritsch's first was the eventual game-winner on a penalty kick in the 27th minute. Senior forward Rushawn Larmond also scored for the Mountaineers.
 
West Virginia out-shot the Eagles (1-2) 21-8, with a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal. WVU held a 9-3 edge in corner kicks. In goal, sophomore Steven Tekesky made three saves for the Mountaineers, while American's Lucas Manso had eight saves.
 
"We played well, again tonight," LeBlanc added. "I thought we played well last weekend against Wilmington (in a 1-0 loss), I thought we deserved a little bit more of a game. I think that probably lit the fuse underneath the guys this weekend. It was a heck of a performance, a heck of an offensive output. I'm not happy with the goal we conceded, because that was a mistake. But I think we're a fun team to watch right now. We're going to keep things in perspective though, and we'll look forward to the challenge next weekend."
 
Along with Piatczyc, junior midfielder and sophomore forward Tsubasa Takada recorded assists in the victory.
 
Shim scored his first goal of the match at 19:27. Takada sent the ball to Piatczyc 30 yards out, and received the ball back just inside the box. He sent a shot on net, which was deflected by Manso. However, the rebound went right to Shim, who scored on an open net.
 
Seven minutes later, at 26:07, Derwaritsch drew a foul inside the box. He converted the ensuing penalty kick for his first goal of the season.
 
In the first half, WVU had 10 shots, six on goal, to AU's five shots, three on goal. The Mountaineers led 2-0 after 45 minutes, but quickly added on in the second half.
 
At 47:04, Larmond scored his first goal of the season to extend the West Virginia lead to 3-0. Shim centered the ball to Piatczyc, who passed it to Garcia-Herreros in the corner of the box. Garcia-Herreros sent it back to Piatczyc, who fired the ball towards the net, where Larmond was waiting. From inside the six, Larmond beat a diving Manso.
 
The Eagles scored their lone goal at 58:39. Brenner Jarrad intercepted a pass and scored over Tekesky.
 
WVU answered in the 72nd minute, thanks to Shim, again from Piatczyc. On a long ball in, a rebound off an American defender set up Shim's second goal of the night at 71:29.
 
The Mountaineers made it 5-1 at 78:43, thanks to an unassisted goal by Derwaritsch. His goal came off a rebound of a blocked shot.
 
West Virginia is back on the road for a pair of matches, beginning on Friday, Sept. 7, at UCF. Kickoff in Orlando is set for 7 p.m. ET. After a contest at Maryland on Monday, Sept. 10, the Mountaineers return home to host St. Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME.
 
WVU soccer scarf ticket packages and single match tickets are on sale now at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. The scarf ticket package includes a scarf and 10 tickets to be used at any men's or women's soccer match during the 2018 regular season. Packages are just $30 and are available while supplies last. 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. Tickets for WVU students are free with a valid student I.D.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.