Men's Soccer bracket... GOLDEN GOAL!!! WEST VIRGINIA IS HEADED TO THE ELITE EIGHT !!!
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 11-seeded West Virginia University men's soccer team earned a 1-1 draw against Virginia Tech and advanced on penalty kicks in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Sunday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
The Mountaineers move on to the third round for the first time since 2007, and just the third time in program history, following a 4-3 advantage in the penalty shootout. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made a pair of PK saves, before fifth-year senior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda scored the deciding goal to help WVU advance.
"I think the best team won," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "In the first half, we were excellent, especially to start the game. When we scored as early as we did, I thought we settled in. It would've been really nice to capitalize on that momentum and score the second because we knew they had some threats.
"Then, it was just 'Is it going to come?,' which is perhaps a synopsis of our season with creating good opportunities but not feeling like we can quite get that final pass or shot to go our way. So, we had to do it the hard way, but (we) stepped up in those moments to make sure the best team won."
It took less than seven minutes for the Mountaineers (11-3-5) to find the back of the net and take an early lead in front of 1,017 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. After a cross sent in by junior midfielder Luke McCormick was deflected away, senior forward Ike Swiger was in the right spot to open the scoring and give West Virginia a 1-0 advantage. The tally marked the Fairmont, West Virginia, native's second of the season.
From there, WVU had its chances to add to the lead. Sophomore forward Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi's header attempt went just wide in the 14th minute, which became the first of several good looks for the hosts.
Still, the Mountaineers returned to the locker room with a 1-0 lead after 45 minutes.
Following halftime, the Hokies (11-5-4) found the equalizer in the 56th minute to make it 1-1. Just a few minutes later, senior forward Yoran Popovic's header sailed inches high in the 59th, while sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks just missed the frame with a shot in the 68th minute.
In the 74th minute, Bourlot Jaeggi had a shot saved by the VT goalkeeper, which led to redshirt sophomore midfielder/defender Dyon Dromers hitting the crossbar in the 89th minute to keep the score line level.
From there, the two sides played two, goalless, 10-minute overtime periods, resulting in the penalty-kick shootout. Crooks had perhaps the best chance in the 110th minute when his bicycle-kick attempt at goal was swatted away.
In the shootout, Tekesky made a pair of big saves, while Crooks, Dromers, freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen and Jimenez Albelda all converted to push the Mountaineers over the line.
Of note, the shootout was WVU's first since Nov. 10, 2007, against Louisville in the Big East Tournament.
WVU held a 15-10 advantage in shots on the day, including 4-3 in shots on goal. West Virginia also held a 9-4 edge in corner kicks.
With the result, the Mountaineers moved to 7-14-1 in NCAA Tournament play, as well as 4-8-1 all-time against Virginia Tech. What's more, WVU remained unbeaten at home this season, moving to 8-0-3 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Next up, West Virginia advances to the NCAA Third Round against the winner of No. 6 Tulsa-Creighton. Date, location and time of the contest are to be determined.
The Mountaineers move on to the third round for the first time since 2007, and just the third time in program history, following a 4-3 advantage in the penalty shootout. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky made a pair of PK saves, before fifth-year senior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda scored the deciding goal to help WVU advance.
"I think the best team won," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "In the first half, we were excellent, especially to start the game. When we scored as early as we did, I thought we settled in. It would've been really nice to capitalize on that momentum and score the second because we knew they had some threats.
"Then, it was just 'Is it going to come?,' which is perhaps a synopsis of our season with creating good opportunities but not feeling like we can quite get that final pass or shot to go our way. So, we had to do it the hard way, but (we) stepped up in those moments to make sure the best team won."
It took less than seven minutes for the Mountaineers (11-3-5) to find the back of the net and take an early lead in front of 1,017 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. After a cross sent in by junior midfielder Luke McCormick was deflected away, senior forward Ike Swiger was in the right spot to open the scoring and give West Virginia a 1-0 advantage. The tally marked the Fairmont, West Virginia, native's second of the season.
From there, WVU had its chances to add to the lead. Sophomore forward Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi's header attempt went just wide in the 14th minute, which became the first of several good looks for the hosts.
Still, the Mountaineers returned to the locker room with a 1-0 lead after 45 minutes.
Following halftime, the Hokies (11-5-4) found the equalizer in the 56th minute to make it 1-1. Just a few minutes later, senior forward Yoran Popovic's header sailed inches high in the 59th, while sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks just missed the frame with a shot in the 68th minute.
In the 74th minute, Bourlot Jaeggi had a shot saved by the VT goalkeeper, which led to redshirt sophomore midfielder/defender Dyon Dromers hitting the crossbar in the 89th minute to keep the score line level.
From there, the two sides played two, goalless, 10-minute overtime periods, resulting in the penalty-kick shootout. Crooks had perhaps the best chance in the 110th minute when his bicycle-kick attempt at goal was swatted away.
In the shootout, Tekesky made a pair of big saves, while Crooks, Dromers, freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen and Jimenez Albelda all converted to push the Mountaineers over the line.
Of note, the shootout was WVU's first since Nov. 10, 2007, against Louisville in the Big East Tournament.
WVU held a 15-10 advantage in shots on the day, including 4-3 in shots on goal. West Virginia also held a 9-4 edge in corner kicks.
With the result, the Mountaineers moved to 7-14-1 in NCAA Tournament play, as well as 4-8-1 all-time against Virginia Tech. What's more, WVU remained unbeaten at home this season, moving to 8-0-3 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
Next up, West Virginia advances to the NCAA Third Round against the winner of No. 6 Tulsa-Creighton. Date, location and time of the contest are to be determined.
Im hoping for a Backyard Brawl Final.
TULSA, Okla. – The No. 11-seeded West Virginia University men's soccer team earned a 1-0, double-overtime victory over No. 6 Tulsa in the NCAA Third Round on Saturday night at the Hurricane Soccer Stadium.
Freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen scored the golden goal in the 102nd minute to send the Mountaineers into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 1981, as well as the first time in program history in the current NCAA Tournament format. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks and fifth-year senior defender Kevin Morris earned assists on the game-winning tally.
With the win, WVU improved to 8-14-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament action.
"That's a very good team that we've just beaten," said WVU coach Dan Stratford of Tulsa. "I thought that once we showed that we could set up the high press, they had to change. And they did a little bit.
"We had to grind this out. We had to fight and dig really, really deep. The biggest message they had going into tonight was to have no regrets. From that perspective, it was unbelievable."
The Mountaineers (12-3-5) held a 10-8 advantage over Tulsa (16-2-1) in shots, including 7-2 in shots on goal. WVU also had a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
Fifth-year senior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda fired a pair of shots on goal in the opening 30 minutes of the contest, but both chances were saved by the Golden Hurricane goalkeeper. It was a relatively quiet first half, as the two sides returned to the locker room scoreless after 45 minutes.
In the second half, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky was needed for the first time in the 51st minute. The Raymore, Missouri, native denied a Tulsa opportunity, one of his two saves on the night.
Tekesky tied the program record in career starts by a goalkeeper (80) and career wins (45) on Saturday. He also made his 82nd career appearance for the Gold and Blue, which stands alone as No. 1 in the WVU record book.
In the 61st minute, WVU nearly found its breakthrough during a flurry in front of the goal. However, Tulsa fought off a pair of shots by Morris, as well as one by Crooks, to keep the score line at 0-0.
Ninety minutes weren't enough to decide the match, as the Mountaineers entered overtime for the second straight NCAA Tournament game.
In the first overtime period, Tekesky stood tall for his club with a big save in the 96th minute, forcing the fixture into the final 10-minute segment. That's when Ollikainen scored off a West Virginia corner kick in the 102nd minute, marking his first career goal. The Helsinki, Finland, native became the Mountaineers' 14th different goal scorer this season.
"We knew that on set pieces, we had the size advantage," Stratford said. "The irony is it was someone who is 5-foot-7 that put the final ball in the back of the net. But, we'll take it."
Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between WVU and Tulsa. It also was the first time the Mountaineers played in the state of Oklahoma. Of note, Morris took over the top spot in overall career matches started (82) on Saturday.
Next up, West Virginia moves on to the quarterfinal round for the first time in 40 years and will meet the winner of the No. 3 Georgetown-Providence match at the date, location and time to be determined.
Freshman midfielder Otto Ollikainen scored the golden goal in the 102nd minute to send the Mountaineers into the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 1981, as well as the first time in program history in the current NCAA Tournament format. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Crooks and fifth-year senior defender Kevin Morris earned assists on the game-winning tally.
With the win, WVU improved to 8-14-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament action.
"That's a very good team that we've just beaten," said WVU coach Dan Stratford of Tulsa. "I thought that once we showed that we could set up the high press, they had to change. And they did a little bit.
"We had to grind this out. We had to fight and dig really, really deep. The biggest message they had going into tonight was to have no regrets. From that perspective, it was unbelievable."
The Mountaineers (12-3-5) held a 10-8 advantage over Tulsa (16-2-1) in shots, including 7-2 in shots on goal. WVU also had a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
Fifth-year senior midfielder Pau Jimenez Albelda fired a pair of shots on goal in the opening 30 minutes of the contest, but both chances were saved by the Golden Hurricane goalkeeper. It was a relatively quiet first half, as the two sides returned to the locker room scoreless after 45 minutes.
In the second half, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky was needed for the first time in the 51st minute. The Raymore, Missouri, native denied a Tulsa opportunity, one of his two saves on the night.
Tekesky tied the program record in career starts by a goalkeeper (80) and career wins (45) on Saturday. He also made his 82nd career appearance for the Gold and Blue, which stands alone as No. 1 in the WVU record book.
In the 61st minute, WVU nearly found its breakthrough during a flurry in front of the goal. However, Tulsa fought off a pair of shots by Morris, as well as one by Crooks, to keep the score line at 0-0.
Ninety minutes weren't enough to decide the match, as the Mountaineers entered overtime for the second straight NCAA Tournament game.
In the first overtime period, Tekesky stood tall for his club with a big save in the 96th minute, forcing the fixture into the final 10-minute segment. That's when Ollikainen scored off a West Virginia corner kick in the 102nd minute, marking his first career goal. The Helsinki, Finland, native became the Mountaineers' 14th different goal scorer this season.
"We knew that on set pieces, we had the size advantage," Stratford said. "The irony is it was someone who is 5-foot-7 that put the final ball in the back of the net. But, we'll take it."
Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between WVU and Tulsa. It also was the first time the Mountaineers played in the state of Oklahoma. Of note, Morris took over the top spot in overall career matches started (82) on Saturday.
Next up, West Virginia moves on to the quarterfinal round for the first time in 40 years and will meet the winner of the No. 3 Georgetown-Providence match at the date, location and time to be determined.
Next Game:
at Georgetown
12/4/2021 | 12:00 p.m.
ESPN+
2021 Division I Men's Soccer Official Bracket | NCAA.com
The official 2021 College Men's Soccer Bracket for Division I. Includes a printable bracket and links to buy NCAA championship tickets.
www.ncaa.com
Hooray? I hope they win it all, but don't really much care either way. I rolled my eyes at Marshall thumping their chest last year about winning the soccer tournament and I don't feel it means any more this year for WVU to win it.Next Game:
at Georgetown
12/4/2021 | 12:00 p.m.
ESPN+
2021 Division I Men's Soccer Official Bracket | NCAA.com
The official 2021 College Men's Soccer Bracket for Division I. Includes a printable bracket and links to buy NCAA championship tickets.
It would be nice for our AD to claim a National Title in something other than Rifle.
I guess it means something to the players and people following the sport
Likely does. But many on this board including myself were not impressed with Marshall crowing about their win last year and I try to be intellectually consistent.
I think a golf clap is in order. I don’t think we’ll be parading around the internet should we win it all about our big time-ness
I'm not sure about that. Plenty on this board have unironically paraded around WVU's rifle championships over the years. Those rifle championships and those 12 Rhodes Scholars.
Rifle is relatively meaningless just like soccer. There is a slight difference between taking pride in your program for winning an NC in a sport your rarely competitive in and in a program that has won over half the total NCs in thar sports history.
Personally, I think neither is worth beating your chest over. If programs competed for either sport a quarter as hard as they do for FB or BB, then it's a bigger deal.
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