Connecticut men beat West Virginia

STORRS, Conn. (October 19, 2010) – Two second-half goals, including the game winner by Carlos Alvarez, gave the University of Connecticut men’s soccer team a 2-0 win over BIG EAST rival West Virginia on Tuesday night, live on SNY. Josh Ford tied his season-high saves tally with seven stops as UConn earned its 10th victory of the year.

Alvarez, who now has 20 points this season on four goals and 12 assists, scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute of tonight’s contest. With the win, UConn improves to 10-1-3 on the year and 4-0-2 in BIG EAST Conference play. With the loss, West Virginia falls to 7-5-2 and 3-3-0 in the league.

After Alvarez’ corner kick in the 76th minute, the sophomore was able to gain control of the ball after the Mountaineers broke up a UConn possession in the 18-yard box. Alvarez’ shot was drilled over the defenders and into the top far corner of the net, out of the reach of a leaping Zach Johnson.

UConn’s second goal of the night came in the 85th minute as Alan Ponce played the ball down the far side of the field where he found Tony Cascio. Cascio then sent a cross into the box where Stephane Diop connected for his seventh goal of the season and the eighth of his career. Diop’s impressive back-kick shot caught Johnson off guard in net as UConn took a 2-0 lead late in the contest.

Ford, who registered seven saves on Saturday in UConn’s scoreless double-overtime tie at St. John’s, tied that season-high tally in tonight’s match. Ford’s third save of the night, in the 32nd minute, showed his solid positional play as he made a great stop on a Moeryhan Doue shot, keeping the Mountaineers off the scoreboard.

In the first half, Ford recorded five of his seven saves, keeping the match scoreless heading into intermission. On the night, UConn out-shot West Virginia 17-14, including a 10-4 clip in the second half as the Huskies dominated possession.

Tonight’s shutout of the Mountaineers marks the Huskies’ 10th of the year and the eighth for Ford this season. By earning the win, Ford improves his career tally to 52 victories, moving him into sole possession of second place on UConn’s all-time wins list. He needs just one more win to tie Matt Chavlovich (1996-99), who ranks at the top of the list with 53.

UConn will return to action on Friday, Oct. 22 as the Huskies host Notre Dame at Morrone Stadium in an 8:00 p.m. match. The Friday night contest will be featured as the NSCAA College Game of the Week and will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel.