MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 24-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team travels to Cincinnati on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Kickoff at Gettler Stadium in Cincinnati is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can follow along with the match with a live stream, courtesy of
GoBearcats.com. Live stats also are available at
GoBearcats.com.
"We're looking forward to getting this team back out on the road," WVU coach
Marlon LeBlanc said. "We'll have a tough opponent in Cincinnati, which will know us well and one we have a long history with. They are a well-coached team, very disciplined. Winning in a soccer town like Cincinnati will be a tough test for our guys, but we're looking forward to the challenge."
Tuesday's match marks the seventh meeting between the two schools. WVU leads the all-time series, 6-0, including a 3-0 mark on the road. The Mountaineers have scored multiple goals in five of the six previous meetings with Cincinnati, while the Bearcats have scored just one goal ever against WVU.
Last time out, the Mountaineers scored five goals, including three in an 81-second span late in the first half, in a 5-2 win over No. 15/16 Coastal Carolina at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown. After starting the match in a 1-0 hole, freshman forward
Rodrigo Robles Grajera scored a pair of goals in the 37th minute, the first two of his Mountaineer career, while senior
Andres Muriel Albino was credited with the game-winning goal with his strike in the 38th minute.
Sophomore forward
Tony Pineda and senior
Pascal Derwaritsch also scored for WVU, which tallied seven assists in the victory, the most since a 6-0 win over San Francisco on Aug. 30, 2015.
With the win, West Virginia has now defeated a top-25 opponent in 12 of the last 14 years under LeBlanc.
Entering the week, the Mountaineers (3-1-1), who moved up one spot to No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches National Top 30 on Monday, sit No. 2 in the Mid-American Conference in a variety of categories, including shots (81), points (27), goals (8) and assists (11). Individually, senior defender
Albert Andres-Llop leads the conference in shots, with 15. He's also tied for No. 2 in the MAC in shots per game (3.0).
Additionally, junior goalkeeper
Steven Tekesky ranks No. 2 in the MAC in save percentage (.778) and No. 3 in saves (14), while Muriel Albino and Robles Grajera are tied for No. 6 in the conference in points, with five.
The Mountaineers and Bearcats last met on Sept. 18, 2018, in Morgantown. Then-sophomore defender
Kevin Morris scored the game-winner in the 52nd minute, before then-junior defender
Ryan Kellogg added to the lead later in the second half. WVU fired 13 shots in the win, while limiting UC to just two. West Virginia also held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Cincinnati is led by 19th-year coach Hylton Dayes, who holds a record of 136-163-44 with the Bearcats. UC is off to a 1-4 start to the season, with losses to Mercer (2-0 on Aug. 30), Xavier (2-1 on Sept. 6), Wright State (2-0 on Sept. 10) and Western Michigan (5-1 on Sept. 14). Cincinnati topped Albany, 2-1, on Sept. 2.
Junior forward Creggton Charlton leads UC in a number of offensive categories, including goals (2), points (4), shots (13), and shots on goal (7). Senior defender Donovan Segree paces the squad with two assists on the season.
In goal, UC has featured three goalkeepers this season. Junior Noah Lawrence has started in four of the Bearcats' five games in 2019, earning 16 saves on the year.
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