‘Survive and advance’

West Virginia may be in better position to reach the NCAA Tournament than Rutgers, but tonight's 7 p.m. first round Big East Tournament matchup at Dick Dlesk Stadium is important to both teams.

"We're just as desperate as Rutgers is to advance," said WVU head coach Marlon LeBlanc. "Survive and advance is the name of the game and I think both teams are chomping at the bit to have a chance to go to St. John's on Saturday night."

A win for West Virginia (7-4-6, 6-3-2 Big East) may not seal an NCAA Tournament berth, but a loss likely ends any postseason hopes.

"We've got desperation too. We're in a position where we've told the guys we've got to win the Big East Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament," LeBlanc said.

"Some other pundits don't necessarily believe that but I'm 100-percent sold that we've got to win the tournament to get in."

Rutgers (8-9, 5-6 Big East) has to claim the conference title to continue its season, but WVU senior midfielder Gift Maworere knows his team can not take the Scarlet Knights lightly.

"They're a really good team. Their record doesn't really show how good they are, but anytime you play Rutgers you get a really good side," Maworere said. "It's the same situation for them as well for us. It's win or go home.

"They'll be motivated to play, and we hope we're ready to match their intensity."

The Mountaineers will carry some confidence into the match after earning a 2-0 win against Seton Hall over the weekend.

Freshmen Peabo Doue and Shadow Sebele each found the back of the net to lead WVU past the Pirates.

It was just the Mountaineers' second win in their last eight matches, but a victory that Maworere hopes will propel them heading down the stretch.

"It's important that we got the win (against Seton Hall) just for our morale because we hadn't won many games lately coming into Saturday's game," he said.

Sophomore Alex Silva leads all Mountaineers with three goals, while Doue, Sebele and fellow freshman Uwem Etuk have each scored twice.

WVU goalkeeper Zach Johnson has allowed 10 goals in 17 games between the posts.

Johnson has a .861 save percentage to accompany his 10 shutouts.

LeBlanc's team will need a strong performance from Johnson because they will likely be without starting defenders Jason Bristol and Raymond Gaddis again.

Both players have knee injuries, and LeBlanc has told his team to be ready to play without them.

"We played the last game without Gaddis and Bristol, and we don't see that changing any time before Wednesday, so we're preparing as if we aren't going to have them," LeBlanc said before Monday's practice.

The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 2-1 double overtime victory over then-No. 9 South Florida. Rutgers seems to have more offensive firepower than WVU, but doesn't possess nearly as stingy of a defense.

Sophomore Ibrahim Kamara and junior Yannick Salmon have each scored six goals to lead all RU players.

Where Rutgers struggles is preventing the opposition from scoring.

The Scarlet Knights have allowed 30 goals this season, while often switching keepers.

Sophomores Adam Klink and Alex Morgans have seen the most action recently.

Klink played against South Florida and made three saves to earn the win. He is 3-2 with a .760 save percentage, while Morgans is 2-5 with a .658 save percentage.

Rutgers is under the direction of head coach Bob Reasso, who is in his 29th year with the program. Reasso has led the Scarlet Knights to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned his 350th career win at Rutgers against the Bulls.

"I've known Bob for 21 years, so we do have a little bit of a history. We've gotten to see them on film a couple times this year and they're a good team," LeBlanc said.

"We've got a lot of respect for him and their program, and it's going to be another tough game."