Friday, October 4
Morgantown, W.Va.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
San Diego
WVU, San Diego Square Off in Top-25 Battle
October 03, 2019 03:05 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 23-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team hosts No. 25 San Diego on Friday, Oct. 4, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Friday's match marks the return of Friday Night Futbol, featuring half-off drink specials until kickoff. The Mountaineers also will celebrate National Taco Day, with $2.50 walking tacos available at the concession stand. Additionally, the first 300 fans will receive maracas to help cheer on the team.
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.
"(San Diego) is one of the best teams in the country and it's another fantastic opportunity for the Morgantown community to see some of the best soccer in the country," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "They're a fantastic team and are playing well. They can attack with numbers and their defense rarely concedes goals. It's a big task for us against one of the top programs in the nation right now."
Friday marks the first meeting between the Mountaineers and Toreros. WVU is 2-2-1 all-time against members of the West Coast Conference, most recently defeating Santa Clara, 2-0, on Aug. 27, 2017, and falling to then-No. 20 Pacific, 2-0, on Oct. 1, 2017.
West Virginia (6-2-1) is coming off a 3-0, shutout win over Penn on Sept. 28, in Morgantown. Freshman forward Rodrigo Robles Grajera netted a pair of goals to lead the Mountaineers in the victory. The Burgos, Spain, native opened the scoring with a goal in the ninth minute, before he added to his total with a goal in the 68th. Robles Grajera finished with a career-high five points in the win.
Senior Andres Muriel Albino also scored against the Quakers. His 80th-minute goal put the final touches on the victory and marked his third goal of the week and team-high sixth of the season. The Sevilla, Spain, native was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week on Oct. 1, and he was featured on the College Soccer News Team of the Week and was an honorable mention selection for TopDrawerSoccer.com's Men's Team of the Week.
The Mountaineers enter the match ranked No. 23 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25, which was released on Tuesday. WVU also sits No. 26 in this week's College Soccer News National Top 30. WVU has been ranked in a major poll in five of six weeks this season.
WVU ranks No. 1 in the MAC in corner kicks, with 60, averaging 6.7 per match. The Mountaineers are No. 2 in the conference in shots, with 130, an average of 14.4 per contest. Additionally, WVU is tied for No. 2 in the MAC in goals (17) and lead the league in goals against, conceding just eight on the season.
Individually, Muriel Albino's six goals rank No. 2 in the MAC and are tied for No. 25 nationally. He's also No. 2 in the MAC in points, with 13, and tied for No. 3 in shots of goal (11). Freshman midfielder Luke McCormick continues to sit in a tie for No. 2 in the MAC in assists (4), while junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky is No. 1 in the conference in shutouts (3) and No. 2 in goals against average (.861) and total saves (26).
San Diego (7-1-1) is led by second-year coach Brian Quinn. The Toreros are coming off a 2-2 draw to UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 1. Prior to that, USD had won two in a row.
Ranked No. 25 nationally by the United Soccer Coaches, San Diego is 3-0 on the road this season. The squad is led by senior forward Miguel Berry, who sits No. 12 nationally with 18 points and No. 16 in goals (7).
In goal, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Matt Wiher has been 25 saves on the year. The Toreros rank No. 18 nationally in save percentage (.818).
San Diego marks the sixth opponent in the Mountaineers' last eight matches to enter with a winning record. The Toreros also are the third ranked opponent to play WVU this season, with all three meeting WVU in Morgantown.
Fans unable to attend Friday'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.
Friday's match marks the return of Friday Night Futbol, featuring half-off drink specials until kickoff. The Mountaineers also will celebrate National Taco Day, with $2.50 walking tacos available at the concession stand. Additionally, the first 300 fans will receive maracas to help cheer on the team.
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.
"(San Diego) is one of the best teams in the country and it's another fantastic opportunity for the Morgantown community to see some of the best soccer in the country," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "They're a fantastic team and are playing well. They can attack with numbers and their defense rarely concedes goals. It's a big task for us against one of the top programs in the nation right now."
Friday marks the first meeting between the Mountaineers and Toreros. WVU is 2-2-1 all-time against members of the West Coast Conference, most recently defeating Santa Clara, 2-0, on Aug. 27, 2017, and falling to then-No. 20 Pacific, 2-0, on Oct. 1, 2017.
West Virginia (6-2-1) is coming off a 3-0, shutout win over Penn on Sept. 28, in Morgantown. Freshman forward Rodrigo Robles Grajera netted a pair of goals to lead the Mountaineers in the victory. The Burgos, Spain, native opened the scoring with a goal in the ninth minute, before he added to his total with a goal in the 68th. Robles Grajera finished with a career-high five points in the win.
Senior Andres Muriel Albino also scored against the Quakers. His 80th-minute goal put the final touches on the victory and marked his third goal of the week and team-high sixth of the season. The Sevilla, Spain, native was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week on Oct. 1, and he was featured on the College Soccer News Team of the Week and was an honorable mention selection for TopDrawerSoccer.com's Men's Team of the Week.
The Mountaineers enter the match ranked No. 23 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25, which was released on Tuesday. WVU also sits No. 26 in this week's College Soccer News National Top 30. WVU has been ranked in a major poll in five of six weeks this season.
WVU ranks No. 1 in the MAC in corner kicks, with 60, averaging 6.7 per match. The Mountaineers are No. 2 in the conference in shots, with 130, an average of 14.4 per contest. Additionally, WVU is tied for No. 2 in the MAC in goals (17) and lead the league in goals against, conceding just eight on the season.
Individually, Muriel Albino's six goals rank No. 2 in the MAC and are tied for No. 25 nationally. He's also No. 2 in the MAC in points, with 13, and tied for No. 3 in shots of goal (11). Freshman midfielder Luke McCormick continues to sit in a tie for No. 2 in the MAC in assists (4), while junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky is No. 1 in the conference in shutouts (3) and No. 2 in goals against average (.861) and total saves (26).
San Diego (7-1-1) is led by second-year coach Brian Quinn. The Toreros are coming off a 2-2 draw to UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 1. Prior to that, USD had won two in a row.
Ranked No. 25 nationally by the United Soccer Coaches, San Diego is 3-0 on the road this season. The squad is led by senior forward Miguel Berry, who sits No. 12 nationally with 18 points and No. 16 in goals (7).
In goal, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Matt Wiher has been 25 saves on the year. The Toreros rank No. 18 nationally in save percentage (.818).
San Diego marks the sixth opponent in the Mountaineers' last eight matches to enter with a winning record. The Toreros also are the third ranked opponent to play WVU this season, with all three meeting WVU in Morgantown.
Fans unable to attend Friday'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.
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
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