Saturday, October 9
DeKalb, Ill.
4:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Northern Illinois
Mountaineers Travel for Key MAC Match at NIU
October 08, 2021 12:24 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No 4-ranked West Virginia University men's soccer team continues its four-match road trip by traveling to Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 9, in DeKalb, Illinois. Kickoff at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex is set for 4 p.m. ET.
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Fans can follow along with all the action with live stats and live video, courtesy of NIUHuskies.com.
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"The last few days have been about refocusing ourselves in preparation for a very difficult match on the road," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "NIU has shown to be a very high-scoring team, which is a challenge all by itself. They've also only conceded a few goals on the entire year, which shows they truly are a competitive, complete team. It's up to us to key in on our defending and find the back of the net."
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Saturday marks the 12th overall meeting between the Mountaineers (6-0-4, 0-0-1 MAC) and Huskies (9-1, 1-0 MAC). WVU holds a slim, 5-4-2 advantage in the all-time series, including 2-2-1 on the road.
West Virginia took down NIU twice last season, earning a 1-0 win at home on March 6, 2021, before recording a 2-0 victory in DeKalb on April 11. In all, WVU has won three of its last four over Northern Illinois.
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The Mountaineers are coming off a 1-1 draw at Lehigh on Oct. 5, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Senior forward Yoran Popovic scored just 59 seconds into the contest, marking his team-leading fourth goal in the last five matches. However, a Mountain Hawk penalty-kick goal in the 75th minute leveled the score line before a pair of scoreless overtime periods.
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WVU fired a season-high 25 shots against Lehigh, and it held a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. West Virginia also registered 12 corner kicks, to the Mountain Hawks' two.
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With the result, the Mountaineers extended their season-opening unbeaten streak to 10 games, good for the longest to begin a year in program history. What's more, WVU hasn't lost to 12 matches dating back to last season, which is tied for its second-longest unbeaten streak ever.
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West Virginia checked in at No. 4 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Men's Division I Poll, which was released on Tuesday. It marked the fifth straight week that WVU was featured in the poll's top five.
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The Mountaineers enter the weekend as one of just seven Division I programs without a loss. Individually, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky is ranked No. 3 in the nation in shutouts (6) and No. 8 nationally in goals against average (.459).
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Stratford enters Saturday's fixture with a 73-7-10 record as a head coach, including 12-3-5 with the Mountaineers.
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Northern Illinois is led by fifth-year coach Ryan Swan, who is 32-39-4 in his time in DeKalb. The squad has won eight straight matches, dating back to Sept. 4.
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Last time out, NIU earned a 3-0 win over Western Michigan on Oct. 2, in Kalamazoo. The squad received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll.
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One of the highest scoring teams in the nation, NIU ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring offense and No. 4 in goals. Nick Markanich has scored 12 times, good for the national lead in the category. In all, Northern Illinois has outscored its opponents, 30-3.
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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 and live video, courtesy of NIUHuskies.com.
Â
"The last few days have been about refocusing ourselves in preparation for a very difficult match on the road," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "NIU has shown to be a very high-scoring team, which is a challenge all by itself. They've also only conceded a few goals on the entire year, which shows they truly are a competitive, complete team. It's up to us to key in on our defending and find the back of the net."
Â
Saturday marks the 12th overall meeting between the Mountaineers (6-0-4, 0-0-1 MAC) and Huskies (9-1, 1-0 MAC). WVU holds a slim, 5-4-2 advantage in the all-time series, including 2-2-1 on the road.
West Virginia took down NIU twice last season, earning a 1-0 win at home on March 6, 2021, before recording a 2-0 victory in DeKalb on April 11. In all, WVU has won three of its last four over Northern Illinois.
Â
The Mountaineers are coming off a 1-1 draw at Lehigh on Oct. 5, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Senior forward Yoran Popovic scored just 59 seconds into the contest, marking his team-leading fourth goal in the last five matches. However, a Mountain Hawk penalty-kick goal in the 75th minute leveled the score line before a pair of scoreless overtime periods.
Â
WVU fired a season-high 25 shots against Lehigh, and it held a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. West Virginia also registered 12 corner kicks, to the Mountain Hawks' two.
Â
With the result, the Mountaineers extended their season-opening unbeaten streak to 10 games, good for the longest to begin a year in program history. What's more, WVU hasn't lost to 12 matches dating back to last season, which is tied for its second-longest unbeaten streak ever.
Â
West Virginia checked in at No. 4 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Men's Division I Poll, which was released on Tuesday. It marked the fifth straight week that WVU was featured in the poll's top five.
Â
The Mountaineers enter the weekend as one of just seven Division I programs without a loss. Individually, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky is ranked No. 3 in the nation in shutouts (6) and No. 8 nationally in goals against average (.459).
Â
Stratford enters Saturday's fixture with a 73-7-10 record as a head coach, including 12-3-5 with the Mountaineers.
Â
Northern Illinois is led by fifth-year coach Ryan Swan, who is 32-39-4 in his time in DeKalb. The squad has won eight straight matches, dating back to Sept. 4.
Â
Last time out, NIU earned a 3-0 win over Western Michigan on Oct. 2, in Kalamazoo. The squad received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll.
Â
One of the highest scoring teams in the nation, NIU ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring offense and No. 4 in goals. Nick Markanich has scored 12 times, good for the national lead in the category. In all, Northern Illinois has outscored its opponents, 30-3.
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's SoccerWednesday, September 02
Thursday, August 20
Tuesday, August 18
Sunday, November 23
