Saturday, December 4
Washington, D.C.
12:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Georgetown
WVU Visits Georgetown with College Cup Berth on the Line
December 03, 2021 03:31 PM | Men's Soccer
WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the first time in 40 years, the No. 11-seeded West Virginia University men's soccer team prepares for an NCAA Quarterfinal match at No. 3 Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 4. Kickoff at Shaw Field in Washington, D.C. is set for 12 p.m. ET.
Fans can follow along with all the action with live stats, courtesy of NCAA.com. Additionally, the match can be seen live on ESPN+.
"We haven't allowed it to sink in in terms of what we've achieved to this point because we don't feel like we're done," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "We still feel like there's so much more to strive for. So, what an incredible opportunity on Saturday against Georgetown to make an even greater inroad into the record books and become the first team to reach the final four.
"It's the nature of this time of year – once you win one, you almost immediately look to the next one. That's what we've done here; we very, very quickly have turned our attention to Georgetown."
The Mountaineers (12-3-5) are in the round of 8 for the first time since 1981, as well as the first time in program history in the current NCAA Tournament format. Overall, the club is 8-14-1 in NCAA Tournament action.
West Virginia earned its highest national seed since 2007 (No. 6) this postseason. Saturday's match marks the squad's third 2021 NCAA Tournament contest, the most in one season in program history.
WVU advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0, double-overtime win at No. 6 Tulsa on Nov. 27. Freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen scored the game-winning, golden goal in the 102nd minute to push the Mountaineers to the victory. Fifth-year senior defender Kevin Morris and sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks secured assists on the tally.
With the efforts, Ollikainen was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday, while Morris and fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky earned spots on TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week on Tuesday.
Saturday marks the 21st meeting between the Mountaineers and Hoyas (18-2). GU leads the all-time series, 16-4, including 9-1 at home. The two teams, who met nearly annually in Big East action from 1995-2011, last played in the 2018 NCAA Sound Round, a 1-0 Hoya victory at Shaw Field on Nov. 18, 2018.
The winner of Saturday's fixture advances to the Men's College Cup, which is set for Dec. 10-12, in Cary, North Carolina. Of note, the Mountaineers have never reached the final four.
West Virginia has featured 14 different goal scorers this fall, the most in single-season program history. Sophomore forward Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi leads the way with six tallies, while nine others have found the back of the net multiple times.
What's more, 19 of WVU's 24 field players that have stepped onto the pitch this fall have tallied at least one point.
Individually, Morris is the program's all-time leader in career matches played (91), career starts (82) and minutes played (8,030), while Tekesky is tied for WVU's No. 1 mark in career wins (45), as well as career starts by a goalkeeper (80). He also ranks No. 1 in WVU history in career matches played by a goalkeeper (82).
Additionally, Tekesky enters the contest ranked No. 1 in career minutes played and No. 3 in shutouts among active NCAA Division I goalkeepers.
Stratford is 79-10-11 as a head coach, including 18-6-6 with the Mountaineers. The second-year coach is 12-1-1 in the NCAA Tournament, with the first 12 matches coming at Charleston (W.Va.).
Georgetown is led by 16th-year coach Brian Wiese, who is 199-84-37 during his tenure. The Hoyas topped Georgia State, 2-0, in the second round before taking down Providence, 4-1, in the third round.
GU is in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third consecutive season and fifth time in program history. Champions of the Big East, Georgetown is a perfect 12-0 at home this season.
Sean Zawadzki was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, while Dante Polvara earned Big East Midfielder of the Year honors. Meanwhile, Stefan Stojanovic has a team-best nine goals this fall.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Fans can follow along with all the action with live stats, courtesy of NCAA.com. Additionally, the match can be seen live on ESPN+.
"We haven't allowed it to sink in in terms of what we've achieved to this point because we don't feel like we're done," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "We still feel like there's so much more to strive for. So, what an incredible opportunity on Saturday against Georgetown to make an even greater inroad into the record books and become the first team to reach the final four.
"It's the nature of this time of year – once you win one, you almost immediately look to the next one. That's what we've done here; we very, very quickly have turned our attention to Georgetown."
The Mountaineers (12-3-5) are in the round of 8 for the first time since 1981, as well as the first time in program history in the current NCAA Tournament format. Overall, the club is 8-14-1 in NCAA Tournament action.
West Virginia earned its highest national seed since 2007 (No. 6) this postseason. Saturday's match marks the squad's third 2021 NCAA Tournament contest, the most in one season in program history.
WVU advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0, double-overtime win at No. 6 Tulsa on Nov. 27. Freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen scored the game-winning, golden goal in the 102nd minute to push the Mountaineers to the victory. Fifth-year senior defender Kevin Morris and sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks secured assists on the tally.
With the efforts, Ollikainen was named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week on Monday, while Morris and fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky earned spots on TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week on Tuesday.
Saturday marks the 21st meeting between the Mountaineers and Hoyas (18-2). GU leads the all-time series, 16-4, including 9-1 at home. The two teams, who met nearly annually in Big East action from 1995-2011, last played in the 2018 NCAA Sound Round, a 1-0 Hoya victory at Shaw Field on Nov. 18, 2018.
The winner of Saturday's fixture advances to the Men's College Cup, which is set for Dec. 10-12, in Cary, North Carolina. Of note, the Mountaineers have never reached the final four.
West Virginia has featured 14 different goal scorers this fall, the most in single-season program history. Sophomore forward Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi leads the way with six tallies, while nine others have found the back of the net multiple times.
What's more, 19 of WVU's 24 field players that have stepped onto the pitch this fall have tallied at least one point.
Individually, Morris is the program's all-time leader in career matches played (91), career starts (82) and minutes played (8,030), while Tekesky is tied for WVU's No. 1 mark in career wins (45), as well as career starts by a goalkeeper (80). He also ranks No. 1 in WVU history in career matches played by a goalkeeper (82).
Additionally, Tekesky enters the contest ranked No. 1 in career minutes played and No. 3 in shutouts among active NCAA Division I goalkeepers.
Stratford is 79-10-11 as a head coach, including 18-6-6 with the Mountaineers. The second-year coach is 12-1-1 in the NCAA Tournament, with the first 12 matches coming at Charleston (W.Va.).
Georgetown is led by 16th-year coach Brian Wiese, who is 199-84-37 during his tenure. The Hoyas topped Georgia State, 2-0, in the second round before taking down Providence, 4-1, in the third round.
GU is in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third consecutive season and fifth time in program history. Champions of the Big East, Georgetown is a perfect 12-0 at home this season.
Sean Zawadzki was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, while Dante Polvara earned Big East Midfielder of the Year honors. Meanwhile, Stefan Stojanovic has a team-best nine goals this fall.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
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/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
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