Men's Soccer: WVU Falls to No. 7 UConn

NetNews

BOX SCORE MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University men’s soccer team fell 1-0 to No. 7 Connecticut on Wednesday evening at the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va. The Mountaineers (10-6-2, 5-4-1 BIG EAST) outplayed the Huskies (11-3-1, 6-4-1 BIG EAST) in front of an energetic crowd, however, were unable to get on the board despite several close calls. The two teams played to a scoreless first half with two UConn players owning the only two shots on goal in the half. WVU had several attempts in the first period, but the Husky defenders were in position to misdirect the shots. West Virginia’s freshman forward Zak Boggs came within inches of putting his team ahead in the 50th minute when he vollied a hard shot towards Connecticut goalkeeper Adam Schuerman. The senior made a diving save with his fingertips that sent the ball just wide enough to bounce harmlessly off of the right goal post. UConn’s O’Brian White would score what would turn out to be the game winner in the 54th minute when he found open space 12 yards in front of the goal and tapped the ball into the left side of the net. The goal was the seventh of White’s freshman campaign. In the 62nd minute the game got even more intense as sophomore midfielder Andy Wright took down White at midfield. While on the ground White kicked at Wright and was given a red card by the referee. Wright was awarded a yellow card for his role in the altercation. Up one man the Mountaineers turned up their offensive pressure and put together a flurry of scoring opportunities late in the match. With 1:44 remaining on the clock WVU was awarded a free kick from 25-yards out and sophomore defender Andrew Halsell stepped up to take it. The Quentin, Pa., native rocketed a shot towards the right side of the goal and it looked to go in, but once again the goal post kept the home team from equalizing. Seconds later Noble sent a shot towards the goal as he had pushed up into the attack, but his shot sailed wide. Noble ended the match with four saves, while Schuerman recorded two. Junior forward Jarrod Smith led the Mountaineer offense with six shots. Uconn’s White had five. WVU closes out the season with an important BIG EAST match against Marquette on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Milwaukee, Wis. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.