Sunday, October 13
Morgantown, W.Va.
1:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
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Western Michigan
Mountaineers Open MAC Play at Home
October 12, 2019 01:59 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team begins Mid-American Conference play by hosting Western Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 13. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown is set for 1 p.m. ET.
Sunday's match is Youth Soccer Day, with free admission to all youth. Along with a postgame soccer clinic and autograph session, Mountaineer Kids Club members can pick up their t-shirts and pillowcases at the contest, as well as meet Mr. Twister, the face paint and balloon animal artist, and Musket, the Mountaineer Kids Club mascot.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com to avoid lines at the gate on game day. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more. All tickets are general admission.
At the stadium ticket window, tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups on game day. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff of the match.
WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
"Western Michigan is a good team and have been for a number of years," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "(Western Michigan coach) Chad Wiseman is a good coach and always has his teams prepared. They'll be what we expect them to be, which is another tough MAC opponent. There's no difference between Western Michigan and North Carolina and San Diego – they are all good teams. We're blessed to be in such a tough conference where the games are these types of games, but at the same stage, we're in the business of playing top competition and trying to win."
The Mountaineers (6-4-1, 0-0-0 MAC) and Broncos (7-4, 0-0 MAC) will meet for the ninth time on Sunday afternoon. The all-time series is even at 3-3-2, including 1-1-1 in matches played in Morgantown. Additionally, all eight previous meetings between the two squads have resulted in either one-goal matches or draws.
WVU, the defending MAC regular-season champions, last played Western Michigan on Oct. 6, 2018, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, earning a 2-1 win. After conceding the opening goal in the 22nd minute, then-freshman forward Josh DiMatteo knotted the match at 1-1 with a goal in the 31st minute, before then-junior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino netted the game-winner in the 84th minute. Then-sophomore Steven Tekesky earned the win between the posts, registering nine saves in the hard-fought victory.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 3-1 loss at No. 18 North Carolina on Oct. 8, at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. WVU fell behind when the Tar Heels scored a pair of goals in the 28th and 29th minute, respectively, before junior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda cut the deficit in half with a Mountaineer goal in the 37th minute. The tally was the first of the Barcelona, Spain, native's WVU career and it was set up by a low cross into the box by freshman midfielder Luke McCormick, who earned the assist.
UNC, which outshot West Virginia, 20-7, added its third goal in the 72nd minute. Tekesky made a season-high six saves in the loss, all of them in the first half. With the setback, WVU fell to 1-2-1 against ranked opponents in 2019.
West Virginia enters Sunday's match ranked No. 1 in the MAC in corner kicks (67), averaging 6.1 per match. The Mountaineers also rank No. 2 in the conference in goals scored (19) and No. 3 in shots, with 140, an average of 12.7 per game.
Individually, Muriel Albino is No. 2 in the league in goals (6) and points (13). He's also tied for No. 5 in shots on goal, with 11. McCormick's team-high five assists on the year are tied for No. 1 in the MAC.
Western Michigan is led by seventh-year coach Chad Wiseman, who holds a 72-40-17 mark with the Broncos. WMU is on a three-match win streak heading into conference play, most recently defeating Oakland, 3-2, on Oct. 9, on the road.
Ten different players have scored for the Broncos this season, helping the squad to a MAC-leading 23 goals on the year, good for No. 20 nationally. Western Michigan also ranks No. 17 nationally in points per game (6.6). Senior midfielder Anthony Bowie leads WMU with five goals this fall.
In goal, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Isaac Walker leads the MAC in goals against average (.861). He's also No. 3 in the league in saves per game (3.1).
The Broncos will become the Mountaineers' eighth opponent in their last 10 matches to enter with a winning record. WVU is 2-2-3 in MAC openers since joining the league in 2012, as well as 4-2-1 in MAC home openers.
West Virginia has won six consecutive MAC regular-season matches, dating back to Nov. 4, 2017, at SIU Edwardsville. The squad finished a perfect 5-0 in league play last season, en route to the regular-season conference championship.
Fans unable to attend Sunday's match can access, live stats, as well as a live stream of the contest, at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Sunday's match is Youth Soccer Day, with free admission to all youth. Along with a postgame soccer clinic and autograph session, Mountaineer Kids Club members can pick up their t-shirts and pillowcases at the contest, as well as meet Mr. Twister, the face paint and balloon animal artist, and Musket, the Mountaineer Kids Club mascot.
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by visiting WVUGAME.com to avoid lines at the gate on game day. When purchasing online, tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more. All tickets are general admission.
At the stadium ticket window, tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups on game day. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff of the match.
WVU students are admitted for free with a valid WVU Student I.D.
"Western Michigan is a good team and have been for a number of years," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "(Western Michigan coach) Chad Wiseman is a good coach and always has his teams prepared. They'll be what we expect them to be, which is another tough MAC opponent. There's no difference between Western Michigan and North Carolina and San Diego – they are all good teams. We're blessed to be in such a tough conference where the games are these types of games, but at the same stage, we're in the business of playing top competition and trying to win."
The Mountaineers (6-4-1, 0-0-0 MAC) and Broncos (7-4, 0-0 MAC) will meet for the ninth time on Sunday afternoon. The all-time series is even at 3-3-2, including 1-1-1 in matches played in Morgantown. Additionally, all eight previous meetings between the two squads have resulted in either one-goal matches or draws.
WVU, the defending MAC regular-season champions, last played Western Michigan on Oct. 6, 2018, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, earning a 2-1 win. After conceding the opening goal in the 22nd minute, then-freshman forward Josh DiMatteo knotted the match at 1-1 with a goal in the 31st minute, before then-junior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino netted the game-winner in the 84th minute. Then-sophomore Steven Tekesky earned the win between the posts, registering nine saves in the hard-fought victory.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 3-1 loss at No. 18 North Carolina on Oct. 8, at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. WVU fell behind when the Tar Heels scored a pair of goals in the 28th and 29th minute, respectively, before junior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda cut the deficit in half with a Mountaineer goal in the 37th minute. The tally was the first of the Barcelona, Spain, native's WVU career and it was set up by a low cross into the box by freshman midfielder Luke McCormick, who earned the assist.
UNC, which outshot West Virginia, 20-7, added its third goal in the 72nd minute. Tekesky made a season-high six saves in the loss, all of them in the first half. With the setback, WVU fell to 1-2-1 against ranked opponents in 2019.
West Virginia enters Sunday's match ranked No. 1 in the MAC in corner kicks (67), averaging 6.1 per match. The Mountaineers also rank No. 2 in the conference in goals scored (19) and No. 3 in shots, with 140, an average of 12.7 per game.
Individually, Muriel Albino is No. 2 in the league in goals (6) and points (13). He's also tied for No. 5 in shots on goal, with 11. McCormick's team-high five assists on the year are tied for No. 1 in the MAC.
Western Michigan is led by seventh-year coach Chad Wiseman, who holds a 72-40-17 mark with the Broncos. WMU is on a three-match win streak heading into conference play, most recently defeating Oakland, 3-2, on Oct. 9, on the road.
Ten different players have scored for the Broncos this season, helping the squad to a MAC-leading 23 goals on the year, good for No. 20 nationally. Western Michigan also ranks No. 17 nationally in points per game (6.6). Senior midfielder Anthony Bowie leads WMU with five goals this fall.
In goal, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Isaac Walker leads the MAC in goals against average (.861). He's also No. 3 in the league in saves per game (3.1).
The Broncos will become the Mountaineers' eighth opponent in their last 10 matches to enter with a winning record. WVU is 2-2-3 in MAC openers since joining the league in 2012, as well as 4-2-1 in MAC home openers.
West Virginia has won six consecutive MAC regular-season matches, dating back to Nov. 4, 2017, at SIU Edwardsville. The squad finished a perfect 5-0 in league play last season, en route to the regular-season conference championship.
Fans unable to attend Sunday's match can access, live stats, as well as a live stream of the contest, at WVUsports.com.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
GK
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