Mountaineers Fall to Dayton

Saturday, September 21

Morgantown, W.Va.

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

4-2-1

Dayton

3-4

Dayton

West Virginia

September 21, 2019 10:16 PM | Men's Soccer

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By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 20-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team fell to Dayton, 2-0, on Saturday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers conceded goals in the 65th and 67th minute in the squad's first loss since Sept. 2. WVU finished with 11 shots but only one was placed on goal.

"We didn't play well enough to win," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. "We were wasteful in front of the goal on the attacking side of things, and we literally just missed the target too often and got punished on dead balls. We're not good enough to miss as many chances as what we missed tonight and still win. We have to be a little bit better in the final third. At the end of the day, we got what we deserved. A lot of times you feel like you're the better team and let one get away. Tonight, we weren't the better team and didn't deserve to win."

WVU (4-2-1) nearly opened the game with a goal in the ninth minute, when senior defender Albert Andres-Llop sent a low cross into the middle of the box. However, no Mountaineers were near enough to connect with it in front of the goal.

After sophomore forward Josh DiMatteo missed wide in the 20th minute, junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made the first of his three saves on the night with a diving effort in the 33rd.

The two teams went on to combine for just eight shots in the first 45 minutes, as the Mountaineers and Flyers returned to the locker room scoreless at halftime.

In the second half, WVU nearly found its breakthrough off a corner kick in the 52nd minute. After the corner was played in, senior defender Logan Lucas and junior defender Kevin Morris each got their heads on the ball for shots, but neither found the back of the net. Morris' attempt hit between the corner of the post and crossbar and stayed out to keep the contest even at 0-0.

Then, Dayton (3-4) opened the scoring in the 65th minute on a goal from inside the box that beat Tekesky. Less than two minutes later, the Flyers struck again, as the visitors found a header goal to make it 2-0.

Down a pair, the Mountaineers attempted to create a quick-strike attack in their final third but failed to earn a tally on the scoreboard.

UD outshot West Virginia, 13-11, while the Mountaineers held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks. Freshman midfielder Luke McCormick led the way for WVU with four shots in the loss.

Saturday marked the Mountaineers' first regular-season home loss since Sept. 25, 2018, against Radford. It also snapped the squad's two-match win streak.

Despite the setback, WVU leads the all-time series with Dayton, 2-1.

Next up, West Virginia returns to the road to take on Ohio State on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Kickoff at the Buckeyes' Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus is set for 7 p.m. ET.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.