University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
West Virginia
Huskies Battle Mountaineers To 0-0 Tie
10/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 10, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The 13th-ranked UConn men's soccer team battled the 25th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers to a 0-0 double overtime tie on Saturday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.
The BIG EAST contest featuring the Huskies (6-2-3, 5-1-1 BIG EAST) and the Mountaineers was originally scheduled for Friday night on FOX Soccer Channel but due to the inclement weather conditions that hit the area, the game was postponed to Saturday.
Today's tie was the Huskies' third of the season and first in conference play, while the shutout was the Huskies' eighth of the year and the fifth consecutive for the UConn program.
The Huskies' dominated the possession of the ball during the first eight minutes of the first half, holding the Mountaineers (5-2-4, 4-1-2 BIG EAST) to one shot on goal. Freshman Carlos Alvarez started things off for the Huskies as he took a free kick from about 45-yards out as senior Kwame Watson-Siriboe tried to one-time the ball towards the net but his shot went high of the crossbar in the 10th minute of the game.
Jason Bristol followed on the other end of the field as he took a header off of a West Virginia corner kick but his attempt was grabbed by UConn goalkeeper, Josh Ford, for his first save of the day. West Virginia earned a straight-on free kick from 25-yards out but the shot was blocked by the UConn wall compiled by four Huskies.
In the 28th minute, Travis Pittman's cross into the box was deflected out to Alex Silva, whose shot missed wide left of the diving Ford. On the next UConn possession, Alvarez was able to cut through two defenders in the 39th minute to get a shot off but his attempt was saved by West Virginia goalkeeper, Zach Johnson.
With three minutes left in the first half, freshman Jossimar Sanchez lined a shot into the West Virginia defense but it was blocked and sent out of the box. Alvarez tried to lift the UConn momentum as he drilled his own shot towards net but Johnson was able to leap and grab the ball to make the save.
Alan Ponce tried to finish the half by giving the Huskies' the lead but his shot attempt went wide of the near post with eight seconds remaining on the clock.
Possession of the ball was traded back and forth between both teams to start the second half until freshman Stephane DIOP made a great effort as he dribbled out of the far corner of the field towards the box, moving through defenders, before his shot was saved by Johnson by the far post.
West Virginia's Pittman drilled a cross into the box in the 56th minute but a leaping Ford grabbed the ball out of the air before another player in white was able to get a foot on it. Juniors Robert Brickley and Shawn Nicklaw made back-to-back key defensive plays to limit the Mountaineers' scoring opportunities in the second frame.
After a West Virginia corner, a header attempt from about eight yards out slipped past a few UConn players before Cruz Hernandez was able to clear the ball out of the box on a header, keeping the ball from sneaking into the far corner of the net. Ford made another great defensive play with less than 25 minutes remaining in regulation as he picked off a Pittman cross in the goal area in front of two West Virginia attackers.
UConn sophomore Tony Cascio used a blast of speed in the 83rd minute and dribbled down field to drill a shot at the net but Johnson was able to get his hands out to punch the ball out of the goal area for his fourth save of the afternoon. A free kick by West Virginia resulted in a header at the 84-minute mark but Ford was there to make the stop for his third of the game.
The closest call for West Virginia in regulation came with 2:23 remaining as Moeryhan Doue cut down the middle of the box and one-timed a pass just over the crossbar to keep the game knotted at zero.
The Huskies earned their first corner kick of the contest with six minutes left in the first overtime period as the header by DIOP went high. Ford made another stop on the afternoon as Ryan Gillespie dribbled down field and lined a shot high into the hands of UConn's redshirt junior. Both teams battled in the second overtime period, searching for the lone goal of the contest but came up short, resulting in a scoreless tie.
Ford finished the afternoon with four saves for his eighth shutout of the season, while he picked up the 34th of his career. West Virginia's Johnson made five stops in net for the Mountaineers.
The Huskies will return to Storrs, Conn. to host the nationally-ranked Harvard Crimson on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Morrone Stadium in non-conference play.
