TicketsSept. 20, 2009
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to West Virginia on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats fall to 5-2-0 overall and 1-1-0 in BIG EAST play. West Virginia evened its record at 2-2-2 overall and 1-1-0 in conference action.
"This was certainly a disappointing result and a frustrating game for us," said head coach Hylton Dayes. "We had some opportunities, but we were just not able to get one in the net. You have to credit West Virginia. They defended very well."
The Mountaineers scored late in the first half after a miscommunication by the UC defense allowed Uwem Etuk into the box, where he beat goalkeeper Miguel Rosales (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) for a 1-0 lead. It was the first goal allowed by Rosales in just over 300 minutes in goal this season.
The Bearcats had scoring opportunities throughout the first half, despite posting just three shots. Matt Bahner (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) was dangerous from the flank throughout the half sending several crosses into the box, just missing connections with forwards making attacking runs.
As the Bearcats pushed ahead in the second half, West Virginia was content to drop back and defend. UC held a 6-2 edge in shots in the second stanza and with 18 minutes to play got its best scoring chance of the match when a build up resulted in a shot for Branden Stelmak (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) from six yards that was snagged by WVU goalkeeper Zach Johnson.
Another miscommunication by the UC defense helped West Virginia put the match away. On a ball sent into the UC zone, neither Rosales nor the UC defenders took charge and Alex Silva snuck inbetween and tapped in the uncontested goal for a 2-0 margin.
The Bearcats finished with a 9-5 edge in shots and 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
UC will hit the road for a pair of BIG EAST tilts next weekend. On Friday, Sept. 25, the Bearcats will visit Marquette at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 27, UC will take on Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m. in a match to be televised nationally on the CBS College Sports Network.