WVU Mountaineer Sports: Basketball | Football | News |Men's Soccer: WVU Travels to Pitt

The No. 24 West Virginia men's soccer team travels to Pitt for a BIG EAST match on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.

West Virginia (6-4-1, 2-1-0 BIG EAST) is currently tied for third place in the BIG EAST Blue Division standings with six points, trailing Connecticut by one point and Marquette by three points.

Pitt (4-7-1, 2-1-0 BIG EAST) also enters the match tied for third place in the BIG EAST Blue Division standings with six points. The Panthers are on a two-game BIG EAST winning streak after defeating Syracuse and Seton Hall.

"Pitt has tightened themselves up defensively and has become a very difficult team to break down," coach Marlon LeBlanc says. "They've proven to be a dangerous team, especially on set pieces, and it's one of those games that is going to be a wait and see and whoever makes the least amount of mistakes will come out on top."

Pitt is led by Nico Wrobel who has five goals on 17 shots. Chu Chu Onyeukwu has two goals, while Terry Akpua has a goal and an assist for four points.

The Panthers have used four different goalkeepers this season and will likely start Lee Johnson in net. Johnson has played in eight games, allowing five goals and making 29 saves.

"Johnson has done pretty well for them," LeBlanc says. "He is a big kid, very athletic and a good shot-stopper. He has a good hold of the defense, and because of that they've been pretty tough the last few games."

Pitt is coached by Joe Luxbacher, who is in his 28th season as the Panthers' head coach.

The Mountaineers are coming into the match after defeating then-ranked No. 13 Georgetown last Saturday evening. Midfielder Uwem Etuk scored the game-winning goal in the 81^st minute, while goalkeeper Justin Holmes recorded his second consecutive shutout.

Offensively, the Mountaineers have out-shot their opponents, 133-94, while also scoring two more goals than the opposition.

Holmes has started seven games in net with a goals-against average of 0.83, including three shutouts.

This will be the 47th meeting between the two schools with West Virginia holding a 32-9-5 edge. Last season, WVU defeated the Panthers 2-0 on goals from midfielders Shadow Sebele and Ruben Garrido.