Mountaineers Return Home to Open Conference Play Friday
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 58 2015) – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team returns home to host Western Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener on Friday, October 9, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Match time has been pushed back 30 minutes to 7:30 p.m.
WVU Match Notes
The Mountaineers (4-6-0) are undefeated against the Broncos (6-1-2) since WVU joined the MAC in 2012. West Virginia has finished in the top two in the conference in two of its first three seasons in the league.
General admission tickets are $5, while tickets for youth and senior citizens are $3. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each. Tickets can be purchased at the DDSS ticket office or in advance at WVUGAME.com. Admission is free for WVU students with a valid ID.
Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream on WVUsports.com, presented by CityNet. DJ Jamiel and Caroline Szwed will be on the call. Live stats can be found at WVULiveStats.com, and updates will also be available on social media by following and connecting with @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.
“One of the neat things about the MAC is that there’s no predetermined site,” WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said of the conference tournament. “The [conference championship] host is the winner of the regular season. This year, we get the benefit of playing three of our MAC games at home and two of them on the road, so the idea is to take maximum points from your home games.
“Western Michigan is doing pretty well. They’re a good team, well-coached and they’re winning games. Even though we do have some non-conference games intertwined, the idea is that you try and win your conference game-by-game.”
WVU is among the conference and national leaders in several categories. The Mountaineers are first in the Mid-American Conference and No. 19 nationally with 6.10 points per game and eighth nationally, third in the MAC with 2.30 assists per game. West Virginia is No. 10 in the country and third in the conference with 23 total assists.
Individually, sophomore Joey Piatczyc continues to lead the nation in assists. He is averaging 1.00 assist per game and is also first with 10 total assists. Senior Zak Leedom is seventh in the MAC with four total assists and eighth with 0.40 assists per game. Freshman Tucker Stephenson’s two game-winning goals rank fourth in the conference, while senior Ryan Cain is fifth in the league with five goals and ninth, along with Piatczyc, with 10 total points.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan enters the weekend with a 6-1-2 record. The Broncos opened the year with five consecutive wins before a pair of ties, a loss and a win in their last four games. WMU’s last contest came on Saturday, Oct. 3, a 1-0 win over St. Mary’s. On the road, Western Michigan is 2-0-1, with wins over IPFW and IUPIU and a 0-0 tie at Detroit.
The Broncos are coached by Chad Wiseman, in his third season. A 2009 WMU graduate, Wiseman owns a 76-42-13 record in seven seasons as a head coach and a 23-17-7 mark at Western Michigan.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BRONCOS
WVU is 1-0-2 vs. Western Michigan. All three meetings have occurred since the Mountaineers joined the Mid-American Conference for the 2012 season. The first two matches ended in a draw, 1-1 in 2012 and 0-0 in 2013 in Morgantown. Last season, West Virginia earned a 2-1 victory in Kalamazoo, Mich.
In the final game of the 2014 regular season, Jamie Merriam and Jad Arslan each scored in the second half to give WVU a 2-1 win at WMU. With the score tied at 1-1 in the 86th minute, Mike Desiderio sent a shot in from 25 yards out that hit off the crossbar. Arslan was there and dove in for the rebound, and his header went over the reach of the Western Michigan goaltender.
UP NEXT: VS. PENN STATE
WVU’s two match homestand continues on Tuesday, Oct. 13 when the Mountaineers welcome Penn State to Morgantown. The non-conference matchup will begin at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: AT VIRGINIA TECH
WVU’s two match winning streak ended with a 2-0 loss at Virginia Tech on Tuesday evening. Playing the second of three matches in the span of seven days, WVU was held scoreless despite having six shots on goal. Senior Jamie Merriam had two shots on goal, both within the first eight minutes of each half. Sophomores Jack Driscoll and Jad Arslan and freshman Tucker Stephenson also had a first-half shot on goal. Junior Jack Elliott posted a shot on goal after intermission. Freshman Alec Boerner made his fourth consecutive start and allowed two goals and had one save in 71 minutes before junior Daniel Diaz came in and played the final 19 minutes.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 58 2015) – The West Virginia University men’s soccer team returns home to host Western Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener on Friday, October 9, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Match time has been pushed back 30 minutes to 7:30 p.m.
WVU Match Notes
The Mountaineers (4-6-0) are undefeated against the Broncos (6-1-2) since WVU joined the MAC in 2012. West Virginia has finished in the top two in the conference in two of its first three seasons in the league.
General admission tickets are $5, while tickets for youth and senior citizens are $3. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2 each. Tickets can be purchased at the DDSS ticket office or in advance at WVUGAME.com. Admission is free for WVU students with a valid ID.
Fans unable to cheer on the Mountaineers in person can watch a live stream on WVUsports.com, presented by CityNet. DJ Jamiel and Caroline Szwed will be on the call. Live stats can be found at WVULiveStats.com, and updates will also be available on social media by following and connecting with @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.
“One of the neat things about the MAC is that there’s no predetermined site,” WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said of the conference tournament. “The [conference championship] host is the winner of the regular season. This year, we get the benefit of playing three of our MAC games at home and two of them on the road, so the idea is to take maximum points from your home games.
“Western Michigan is doing pretty well. They’re a good team, well-coached and they’re winning games. Even though we do have some non-conference games intertwined, the idea is that you try and win your conference game-by-game.”
WVU is among the conference and national leaders in several categories. The Mountaineers are first in the Mid-American Conference and No. 19 nationally with 6.10 points per game and eighth nationally, third in the MAC with 2.30 assists per game. West Virginia is No. 10 in the country and third in the conference with 23 total assists.
Individually, sophomore Joey Piatczyc continues to lead the nation in assists. He is averaging 1.00 assist per game and is also first with 10 total assists. Senior Zak Leedom is seventh in the MAC with four total assists and eighth with 0.40 assists per game. Freshman Tucker Stephenson’s two game-winning goals rank fourth in the conference, while senior Ryan Cain is fifth in the league with five goals and ninth, along with Piatczyc, with 10 total points.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan enters the weekend with a 6-1-2 record. The Broncos opened the year with five consecutive wins before a pair of ties, a loss and a win in their last four games. WMU’s last contest came on Saturday, Oct. 3, a 1-0 win over St. Mary’s. On the road, Western Michigan is 2-0-1, with wins over IPFW and IUPIU and a 0-0 tie at Detroit.
The Broncos are coached by Chad Wiseman, in his third season. A 2009 WMU graduate, Wiseman owns a 76-42-13 record in seven seasons as a head coach and a 23-17-7 mark at Western Michigan.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BRONCOS
WVU is 1-0-2 vs. Western Michigan. All three meetings have occurred since the Mountaineers joined the Mid-American Conference for the 2012 season. The first two matches ended in a draw, 1-1 in 2012 and 0-0 in 2013 in Morgantown. Last season, West Virginia earned a 2-1 victory in Kalamazoo, Mich.
In the final game of the 2014 regular season, Jamie Merriam and Jad Arslan each scored in the second half to give WVU a 2-1 win at WMU. With the score tied at 1-1 in the 86th minute, Mike Desiderio sent a shot in from 25 yards out that hit off the crossbar. Arslan was there and dove in for the rebound, and his header went over the reach of the Western Michigan goaltender.
UP NEXT: VS. PENN STATE
WVU’s two match homestand continues on Tuesday, Oct. 13 when the Mountaineers welcome Penn State to Morgantown. The non-conference matchup will begin at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: AT VIRGINIA TECH
WVU’s two match winning streak ended with a 2-0 loss at Virginia Tech on Tuesday evening. Playing the second of three matches in the span of seven days, WVU was held scoreless despite having six shots on goal. Senior Jamie Merriam had two shots on goal, both within the first eight minutes of each half. Sophomores Jack Driscoll and Jad Arslan and freshman Tucker Stephenson also had a first-half shot on goal. Junior Jack Elliott posted a shot on goal after intermission. Freshman Alec Boerner made his fourth consecutive start and allowed two goals and had one save in 71 minutes before junior Daniel Diaz came in and played the final 19 minutes.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
