MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU head coach Dan Stratford values quality over quantity when it comes to getting shots on the net of the opponent. On a night where his Mountaineers outshot St. Bonaventure, 17-2, one moment of quality was enough for West Virginia to collect their first victory of the season with a 1-0 victory in the home opener at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
WVU-Tech transfer Julen Recalde scored off a cross from Aurelien Cormier in the 62nd minute to produce West Virginia’s first goal of the season. Kanta Ishii also picked up an assist on the first pass of the sequence.
“I was so excited with the first game here at home,” Recalde said. “With all the people supporting, it is incredible, amazing.”
“With what we had created up to that point, you are always wondering if it is going to be one of those nights where you just can’t find a way,” Stratford said. “I do think there was a little bit of a hangover tonight from the nature of the Charlotte game, which made tonight even more important that we got the result and got the win. I thought there was just a little bit of desperation with the way we attacked in the first half.”
WVU led St. Bonaventure 4-2 in shots on goal and 9-1 on corner kicks while controlling possession for 68 percent of the game.
“We really value the quality of chances we create. The shot column is not something I pay much attention to,” Stratford said. “The quality of shots is far more important to me than the number of shots. That’s where I think we have been a little too speculative through both games, and even again today.”
Recalde scored 16 goals for WVU-Tech last fall while leading his team to the NAIA Championship match. He has started both matches for the Mountaineers this season and he led WVU with five shots on Monday.
“Whenever you take players from an NAIA environment, a JUCO environment, a little bit Division II as well, I think the thing that normally surprises those players is the consistent level of intensity that is apparent in training and then certainly in the quality of competition. Julen has incredible attacking qualities,” Stratford said.
“No question that his finishing capacity, his fluency with left and right foot is going to be something I think he is going to get even better and better and he is going to be even productive. But I am sure that he is going to have a ton of confidence that he obviously scored the first goal of the season for us.”
Toby Mawer made two saves to earn the clean sheet for West Virginia (1-1). His counterpart, Winston Jory, made three stops for the Bonnies (1-1).
Following a season-opening, 3-0 loss at Charlotte, Stratford says reinforcements to the lineup may still be a match away heading into Friday’s contest at UNC-Greensboro.
“We’ve probably got to get through UNCG with what we have and there’s maybe hope that Akron could provide one or two more,” Stratford said. “But I want to be really clear, I think a lot was made of the injury, quote-unquote, crisis that we have. That had nothing to do with why we lost the game at Charlotte. I have made it very clear to the players that won’t be used as an excuse. It is a fact that we have injuries. But we have enough,. We have enough to be competitive with Top 25 teams in the country.”