Tuesday, October 5
Bethlehem, Pa.
7:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Lehigh
No. 3 WVU's Road Trip Begins with Lehigh
October 04, 2021 02:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 3-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team opens a four-match road trip by traveling to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for a nonconference match at Lehigh on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Kickoff at Ulrich Sports Complex is set for 7 p.m. ET.
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Fans can follow along with all the action with live stats, courtesy of LehighSports.com. Additionally, the match can be seen live on ESPN+.
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"This matchup is important in a number of ways, but perhaps none bigger than getting us started on a long road trip in a positive direction," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "Being able to open this part of the schedule with a big result would go a long way for us, especially with so many games still ahead and coming quickly."
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Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between the Mountaineers (6-0-3, 0-0-1 MAC) and Mountain Hawks (1-8-1, 1-3-0 Patriot). WVU is 10-11-5 against current members of the Patriot League, including 0-0-1 this season. West Virginia played to a 0-0 draw against Loyola (Maryland) on Sept. 6, in Morgantown.
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Lehigh is the first of three first-time opponents for the Mountaineers this season. WVU also will take on Kentucky (Oct. 19) and Georgia Southern (Oct. 28) for the first time in 2021.
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West Virginia is coming off a 0-0 draw against Akron on Sept. 30, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium to open Mid-American Conference play. WVU held an 11-7 advantage in shots, as well as 5-1 in shots on goal. Additionally, WVU held an 8-2 edge over the Zips in corner kicks.
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Following the result, the Mountaineers have earned clean sheets in each of their last three games. The squad is attempting to tally four shutouts in a row for the first time since Sept. 13-26, 2008.
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WVU's nine-match unbeaten streak to start the season is tied for the longest to open a year in program history. It's also the first time the squad has avoided a setback in its first nine matches of the year since 1968.
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The Mountaineers were placed at No. 3 in last week's United Soccer Coaches Men's Division I Poll, good for the highest ranking by the organization in program history. This week's poll is due out on Tuesday afternoon.
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Elsewhere, WVU stayed at No. 3 in the College Soccer News poll and moved up two spots to No. 7 in the latest TopDrawerSoccer poll, which were both released on Monday.
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Individually, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky enters the week ranked No. 3 in the nation in shutouts (6) and No. 7 nationally in goals against average (.414). Last week, the Raymore, Missouri, native was named one of 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award. It marked the first time a Mountaineer appeared on the prestigious list since Jamie Merriam in 2015.
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Stratford enters Tuesday's fixture with a 73-7-9 record as a head coach, including 12-3-4 with the Mountaineers. What's more, WVU is 8-0-2 in nonconference matches in the Stratford era.
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Lehigh is led by 30th-year coach Dean Koski, who is 249-219-68 during his time in Bethlehem. The Mountain Hawks enter Tuesday's fixture with a 1-8-1 mark on the season, including 1-3 in Patriot League play. Last time out, Lehigh topped Army, 2-1, on Oct. 2, at home.
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The Mountain Hawks last won the Patriot League in 2019. The squad also appeared in the NCAA Tournament that season.
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Josh Luchini leads the club in several offensive categories: goals (2), assists (2), points (6), shots (29) and shots on goal (9). The squad has totaled seven goals in its 10 matches in 2021.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Â
Fans can follow along with all the action with live stats, courtesy of LehighSports.com. Additionally, the match can be seen live on ESPN+.
Â
"This matchup is important in a number of ways, but perhaps none bigger than getting us started on a long road trip in a positive direction," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "Being able to open this part of the schedule with a big result would go a long way for us, especially with so many games still ahead and coming quickly."
Â
Tuesday marks the first-ever meeting between the Mountaineers (6-0-3, 0-0-1 MAC) and Mountain Hawks (1-8-1, 1-3-0 Patriot). WVU is 10-11-5 against current members of the Patriot League, including 0-0-1 this season. West Virginia played to a 0-0 draw against Loyola (Maryland) on Sept. 6, in Morgantown.
Â
Lehigh is the first of three first-time opponents for the Mountaineers this season. WVU also will take on Kentucky (Oct. 19) and Georgia Southern (Oct. 28) for the first time in 2021.
Â
West Virginia is coming off a 0-0 draw against Akron on Sept. 30, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium to open Mid-American Conference play. WVU held an 11-7 advantage in shots, as well as 5-1 in shots on goal. Additionally, WVU held an 8-2 edge over the Zips in corner kicks.
Â
Following the result, the Mountaineers have earned clean sheets in each of their last three games. The squad is attempting to tally four shutouts in a row for the first time since Sept. 13-26, 2008.
Â
WVU's nine-match unbeaten streak to start the season is tied for the longest to open a year in program history. It's also the first time the squad has avoided a setback in its first nine matches of the year since 1968.
Â
The Mountaineers were placed at No. 3 in last week's United Soccer Coaches Men's Division I Poll, good for the highest ranking by the organization in program history. This week's poll is due out on Tuesday afternoon.
Â
Elsewhere, WVU stayed at No. 3 in the College Soccer News poll and moved up two spots to No. 7 in the latest TopDrawerSoccer poll, which were both released on Monday.
Â
Individually, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky enters the week ranked No. 3 in the nation in shutouts (6) and No. 7 nationally in goals against average (.414). Last week, the Raymore, Missouri, native was named one of 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award. It marked the first time a Mountaineer appeared on the prestigious list since Jamie Merriam in 2015.
Â
Stratford enters Tuesday's fixture with a 73-7-9 record as a head coach, including 12-3-4 with the Mountaineers. What's more, WVU is 8-0-2 in nonconference matches in the Stratford era.
Â
Lehigh is led by 30th-year coach Dean Koski, who is 249-219-68 during his time in Bethlehem. The Mountain Hawks enter Tuesday's fixture with a 1-8-1 mark on the season, including 1-3 in Patriot League play. Last time out, Lehigh topped Army, 2-1, on Oct. 2, at home.
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The Mountain Hawks last won the Patriot League in 2019. The squad also appeared in the NCAA Tournament that season.
Â
Josh Luchini leads the club in several offensive categories: goals (2), assists (2), points (6), shots (29) and shots on goal (9). The squad has totaled seven goals in its 10 matches in 2021.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's SoccerWednesday, September 02
Thursday, August 20
Tuesday, August 18
Sunday, November 23
